His Final Question
by Evilevergreen
Summary: [WIP] How far would you go, what lies would you tell, what enemies would you make, to save a teammate's soul? That is the question, one person, who has everything to lose must now answer. [Speedy & Bumblebee][V1]
1. The Final Lesson Part 1

**His Final Question**  
By Evilevergreen

**Summary**: SHE was everything he had convinced himself he couldn't have and didn't want. HE was her distraction from a force she wasn't really sure she wanted to escape. Together they would question not only themselves, but each other. (Speedy & Bumblebee)

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Posted: May 25, 2005 

**Chapter One:** The Final Lesson Part 1

Bumblebee placed her hand on Speedy's shoulder as she smiled and spoke to him. Speedy turned his head slightly from the kitchen counter, where he had been fixing his dinner, and stared at her for a moment. As he did, Bumblebee couldn't quite understand his strange expression, so she removed her hand and took a step back to give him space as the smile fell from her face. "Dammit!" Speedy yelled all of sudden before slamming his plate on the counter and storming out the door.

Aqualad and Mas y Menos looked up from their dinner to a very confused looking Bumblebee. "What did you say to him this time, Bee?" Aqualad ask as he went back to his food, because the day wouldn't be complete if those two weren't at each other's throat about something or other.

"Nothing," she told him, as she picked up the plate Speedy had just fixed for himself. "I swear I don't understand that boy," she told her teammates as she joined them at the table. "I mean, all I did was tell him I was proud of him because of how he handled that situation at the jewelry store today," she explained. "But if I knew he was still going to act like his jerk of a self, I wouldn't have said anything."

Aqualad looked at the closed door that Speedy had just left out of. "I think maybe he has more issues than he allows us to know," he confessed.

"Please," Bumblebee began before taking a drink of her soda. "The only issues that boy has is what kind of shampoo he's going to use in the morning. Mango scented or Cucumber melon," she scoffed. "He's more of a girl than I am."

Aqualad then smiled at her knowingly. "You pay attention to what kind of shampoo he uses?"

Bumblebee looked at Aqualad with narrowed eyes. "Shut up and eat before I decide to shove it down your throat." She then heard Mas y Menos snickering about something and turned her head towards them. "Just wait until I learn Spanish," she told them as she continued with her dinner.

As they ate, Bumblebee noticed how Menos ate all of his vegetables, but how Mas just kind of poked at his peas with his fork. "For crying out loud," she began as she picked up his spoon. Mas opened his mouth to ask what she was doing, but as he did all he got was spoonful of peas. "Now be a good boy and eat your vegetables. Because the last thing I need to hear is Speedy's mouth and how he slaved over a hot stove."

Aqualad had to cover his mouth with his hands, to stop himself from laughing out loud, but he couldn't control the shake of shoulders as he did so, because she had threaten him, but had done it to Mas.

"Si, mama," Mas had said quietly, but then gasped as he realized his words. Menos slightly chuckled as he watched his brother's blushing face as he turned towards Bumblebee.

Bumblebee just stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm not even going to go there."

OoOoO

Speedy sighed heavily as he sat on the built-in bench of his window seat. With one leg tucked under him he opened his windows wide as he tilted back his head and closed his eyes. The feeling of the autumn air felt cool against his exposed skin. He sat like that for along time before opening his eyes to watch the sun sink into the darkening sea. This room was one of the reasons he and Bumblebee had gotten off on the wrong foot to begin with.

Before the Tower was completed they all slept in sleeping bags in the common area as a way of getting to know each other. They had all decided that rooms wouldn't be assignment until the Tower was completed, but Speedy had worked on this room especially for himself, because he liked the view outside the window. Plus he wasn't exactly what you would call a morning person. The early morning light that came into the room Bumblebee now resided in would have drove him mad if anything.

But room placement was not the issue at this moment. What was, were the words she had told him a little while ago. He knew he shouldn't have gotten angry like that, but he honestly didn't know how else to react.

Speedy then brought his other leg up to the cushion of the window seat as he stretch out his legs as he leaned on the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. He then started to remember the last conversation he had with his mentor, Green Arrow before joining Titans East. It was a evening much like the one that he looked upon now.

They had settled on top of a hillside to watch the sunset. "I guess this will be the last lesson I'll teach you for awhile," Green Arrow stated sadly.

"Do you not want me to go?" Speedy asked as he looked at him guiltily.

"No, that's not what I mean," he told his teen-aged apprentice as he smiled at him. "After today, I have probably taught you all that I can, everything else you will have to learn for yourself," he then said haughtily. "You have grown much in your time with me and I'm very proud of you." Green Arrow ruffled Speedy's hair.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Speedy frantically swatted away Green Arrow's hand. "You're messing up my do," he told him as he smoothed down his red hair with his hand.

The blonde headed man chuckle a bit as he laid down on the grass with his hands under his head. "There are more important things in life other than your appearance, Speedy."

"I know," Speedy confirmed as he pulled a comb out a nowhere. Green Arrow looked at him oddly as he wondered how he always did that, considering his outfit have no pockets and all. When Speedy was satisfied with his hair, he followed his mentor's lead and laid down looking up at the multi-colored sky. "So," he drawled before asking. "What's my final lesson?"

"Well, you are now coming of age, so I just wanted to give you a little lesson on women," he told him.

Speedy turned his head towards him as he stifled back a laugh. "I'm sixteen, if you want to talk to me about the birds and the bees, I'm sorry to tell you, you're a little too late."

"Yes, I'm sure I am," the man smiled as he resumed looking at the sky before he fell silent.

Speedy made a face as he debated something over in his head. "But you know, I wouldn't decline to listen anyway," he said when he finally spoke.

"Thought you would say as much. You were always one eager to learn," Green Arrow replied before beginning. "Speedy, tell me, what is it to be a teammate."

"What?" Speedy said in disbelief. "Is this some kind of pop quiz?" He looked at him for a response, but only got a face that told him to answer the question. He huffed slightly. "To be a teammate, is to be able to depend on someone as they depend on you. To be a teammate, is having the insight to do not what is best for yourself, but what is best for the whole. To be a teammate, is to take every member's weakness and turn it into your strength, for times when they can not," he stated in a annoyed monotone voice; he knew this stuff.

"Good."His mentor was satisfied with his answer. "Now here's a tougher question. Tell me what it is to love a woman."

Speedy thought a moment before sitting up and looking at Green Arrow. "Wouldn't it be the same thing as being a teammate?"

Green Arrow never took his eyes off the skies. "Yes, and so much more," he stated sadly.

"You sound as if you speak from experience," but Speedy's comment went unreplied. "So, how is it more?" he asked.

Green Arrow sat up and looked at the young man. "Well, I can't give you the answers. Those you have to figure out yourself. What I can do is give you the questions."

"The questions?" Speedy said to himself as the wind picked up and he brought this his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. His attempt to straighten out his hair had been in vain as the wind whipped it around wildly. "Alright, what are the questions?" he asked the older man.

The sun had finally made it's final descent and the dark sky masked the faces of both people as one began to speak. "They are simple to say the least, but unlike the definition of a teammate which can be taught, the questions I'm about to ask you will most likely be answered, when you're not looking for the answer at all."

"So what are they?" Speedy asked again before Green Arrow proceeded to answer him.

To Be Continued. . .

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**A/N**: Yeah, so is the concept as weird as I think it is? 

Also chapters that are different in the other version :V2: have been marked.


	2. Odd Man Out

Posted: June 1, 2005

**Chapter Two:** Odd Man Out

It was nearing noon as Speedy walked down the hall towards the common area of the Tower. He stretched his arms as he yawned and entered the doors of the upper deck. After reaching the railing he leaned down upon it and looked at his fellow teammates below. They were lounging on the couch in front of the television.

Mas y Menos played happily with their Game Station on one end of the large couch while Aqualad watched as they played. Speedy then watched as Bumblebee emerged from the kitchen area and walked over to the couch. She grabbed a magazine from the table and laid on the couch as she rested her head on Aqualad's lap, who didn't seem to mind at all.

The two of them had been friends for a long time and felt pretty comfortable with one another. If one had a problem or just needed to talk, they would simply go to the other. The same thing went for the twins, they had one another to confide in.

At that, Speedy sighed angrily, he hated being the odd man out. "We should be training!" he yelled loud enough for the rest of the team to hear. Because at least when they were training, he felt like he was apart of them.

A little startled, by the sudden outburst, the others were surprised to see Speedy. Bumblebee looked at the clock. "You want to be serious about training now? This coming from a boy who usually isn't up before noon?" she said annoyed as she looked up at him.

Aqualad then leaned into her and whispered something in her ear. "We should mark it on the calendar, this may be a once in a lifetime event." Bumblebee smiled and giggled at his joke.

Speedy didn't know what he had said to her, being so far away, but he knew it was about him; it was always about him. He hated being the butt of their jokes. He was usually a very serious person when it came down to their work, but she always had to make him feel like a fool. And when he did feel like a fool, he got angry, which usually just ended up with him looking like the jerk. "So are we going to train or what?" Speedy stood up straight and crossed his arms over his chest.

"For your information, Speedy," Aqualad began calmly. "We've already trained for the day." He then turned around as if the matter was settled. Mas y Menos, picking up on his cue, began their game again.

"Bee, aren't you suppose to be the leader or something? How come you didn't wake me up?" Speedy yelled as he called down to her. His hands had found the railing and he was squeezing it tightly in anger. _How dare they leave me out?_ he thought.

"Hey!" Bumblebee yelled back up at him. "I am not your mother, Speedy! I'm not going to beg every time I need you do something!" She was angry as well. "If you want to train with us then get your lazy, high-maintenance ass out of bed sometimes and train." Speedy's mouth fell open and the twins once again paused their game.

Aqualad turned to Bumblebee and put his hand on her arm. "Bee, you're being too harsh on him," he told her.

"I don't care." She swatted away his hand. "Because I will not!" She pointed at Speedy. "I repeat, _will not_, put up with your pompous attitude any longer. I'm tired of it, Speedy."

"What are you trying to say, Bumblebee?" Speedy asked her. "You don't want me a part of his team anymore?" His face was full of hurt and concern which his mask hid very well.

Bumblebee cast her head down and a took a deep breath. She then rose her head. "That's not what I meant. I want you apart of this team, Speedy, we all do," the others nodded their heads as they agreed. "But you need to learn how to be a teammate. You make it so hard to depend on you."

"I know what it is to be teammate," he spat.

"Then for the sake of us all," she began gently. "Start showing it." She then turned back around to sit on the couch properly. The others stared at Speedy for a moment before going back to what they were doing.

Speedy turned around and headed towards the doors. "Bitch."

"I heard that, Speedy!" she roared from the couch.

OoOoO

Speedy was underground in the training area of the Tower, honing in on his skills as he shot his arrows at the targets he had set up before he began. He hung upside-down from a pipe on the ceiling as he readied an arrow on his bow. He then released the hold his legs had on the pipe and started falling towards the ground head first. His body began to swirl around as he released his arrow quickly and grabbed another to shot at his targets.

When his last target had been marked, Speedy began to lift his head, changing his position before he reached the ground. He than landed with a thud in a squatted position with one hand on his thigh and the other bracing the ground for balance. "How long have you been watching me?" he asked, panting heavily as he slowly looked up to see the black girl with her hands on her hips.

"Long enough to figure out where all my pictures went," Bumblebee told him as she looked around at Speedy's targets which were pictures of her. Speedy then stood up to his full height as he looked down at his leader. He smirked at her. "You don't intimidate me, Speedy."

"Never said I was trying to," Speedy said. "So what do you want?" he asked as he turned around from her to take down his targets. "I'm busy."

"I've come to train with you," she told him as she helped him take down his targets.

"Why?" He looked at her suspiciously.

"Because I figured if I want to be able to depend on you," she handed him back his arrows, "that you have to be able to depend on me too." She smiled. "So we'll get you an alarm clock so you can be up for morning training sessions."

Speedy shook his head. "They don't work," he explained. "After about a week, my ears learn to block out the sound."

"Hmm," Bumblebee thought it over. "Then I guess," she was a bit hesitant, "I just have to wake you up each morning."

"Stop right there." He shook his head. "Don't do me any favors, Bee." He began to walk away from her. "I know how much against your nature it goes."

"Where are you going?" she asked as she followed him. "Dammit, Speedy. I'm trying to be nice."

"Oh, yes," he rolled his eyes, "making yourself do something for me, that you really don't want to do, is exactly what I define as _nice_," he spoke as he grabbed a towel and draped it over his head before heading out the training area door and down the hall.

"Well, at least I'm trying to make an effort," she spoke intensely as her hands balled up into a fist and the sound of her high-heel boots echoed in the empty hall. "Unlike you, who starts ordering people around the moment they come into view, like they're your own personal service crew."

"Who are we talking about again?" Speedy asked. "Because that sounds a whole lot more like you than me," he spoke with his back to her as he continued to walk. "I don't know what Cyborg was thinking when he named you his successor." He then stopped in a doorway. "He should have given the job to me or at least Aqualad at that. You know, a man who could handle the job."

"Why you arrogant, conceited piece of-"

"Are you taking a shower with me?" Speedy cut her off as he looked over his shoulder.

"What?" She looked absolutely outraged at the question.

"No?" He turned around to face her. "Then I suggest you stop following me now." That's when Bumblebee noticed that the doorway he had stopped at led into a bathroom. Speedy then took a step backwards before closing the door, but before it was fully closed he spoke. "Now why don't you be a good little girl, run off, and make me a ham sandwich or something."

"You're a pig!" She kicked the door in frustration.

"And you're bugging me," he cried from the other side of the door. "So _buzz_ off!"

"Ahhh!" Bumblebee screamed as she stretched out her wings and flew down the hall towards the elevator.

OoOoO

It was a little pass five thirty in the morning as Bumblebee opened her blinds to greet the rising sun. She hated to admit it, especially after the argument she had with Speedy about who would get what room, but she loved waking up to the view the sun rising over the city of Steel.

She hummed happily to herself as she continued getting dress for morning training which usually took place three times a week. The other days they trained were in the afternoon and on Sundays they didn't train at all. Bumblebee was in the middle of brushing the rest of her hair into her all too familiar pigtails, when there came one single knock at her door. She continued what she was doing as if she never heard it.

After finishing her hair, she opened her top dresser drawer where she kept her favorite snack which were little cracker goldfishes. She couldn't eat them in front of Aqualad, he would have a fit. Following her snack, Bumblebee walked over beside her bed where she had her Bee Stingers hung on the wall. She placed them both on their designated holsters located on her pants and headed towards the door.

She pressed the button on the wall and the door slid open. "Impatient much?" she asked as she saw Aqualad leaning on the opposite wall with his arms crossed over his chest and one foot against the wall.

Aqualad then pushed himself off of it. "No, but you're usually not one to be late," he told her as they started towards the elevator.

"Yeah, I know," she told him. "I got a little distracted this morning."

"Oh," Aqualad looked at her curiously. "About what?" he asked as he pressed the down button for the elevator and stepped inside when they opened.

"About how I'm stressed and how it's your fault," Bumblebee stated once inside.

"My fault?" He looked at her. "What did I do?" he asked and then pressed the button for the lowest level of the Tower.

"What did you do?" She looked at him as though the answer should have been clear. "Tell me if this sounds familiar. 'I've fought him once and he's good. I think he'll make a great addition if we're going to form our own team.' Remember that conversation, Water Boy?" she asked as the elevator doors closed and she pressed a button for one of the lower floors.

Aqualad shrugged. "Vaguely," he responded as he put his arm over her shoulders. "But your problem with Speedy, isn't what I would decribe as stress, Bee."

"Oh?" She shifted her weight to one side as she put a hand on her hip.

"Yeah," he put his lips close to her ear and whispered as if it were a secret. "It's sexual tension."

Bumblebee rolled her eyes. "You know what? You play too much." She gently pushed him away as the elevator doors once again opened.

"Really?" Aqualad began as he held the door, so it wouldn't close too soon, and Bumblebee stepped out. "Then why are you getting out on the fourth floor?" he asked.

"I'm only going to wake him up. I told you about that yesterday."

"Yeah, you told me what you thought about him and how he didn't want you to wake him up for morning sessions."

"I don't care what that fool wants. He's going to wake up whether he likes it at not," she told him as she turned and started towards Speedy's room.

"Sometime I wish you would just listen to people," Aqualad commented as he stepped back inside.

"Yeah, when that happens, you'll know we're in the middle of 'Invasion on the Body Snatchers'," she told him right before the doors closed and he headed towards the basement.

Bumblebee then walked down the hall until she came to Speedy's door where she gently knocked on it. When she got no response she simply knocked a little louder. When she still got nothing, she grew impatient and after another moment she just started pounding on the door. She growled softly as she finally just opened the door herself and stepped inside.

With Speedy's room on the west end of the Tower is was still very dark as Bumblebee searched for the light switch on the wall. When she found it she flipped it on and a low light filled the room and she looked around. It was the first time since Speedy moved into it that she had stepped inside.

As she looked around, she observed how tidy his room was. Everything was in its proper place, right down to the neatly folded clothes he planned on wearing for the day. "Figures," Bumblebee said to herself while noticing how warm Speedy kept his room as she made her way over to his sleeping form.

As she came closer and stopped at the edge of the bed, she saw that he slept with his mask on. Bumblebee didn't know why, but she was a bit disappointed at the discovery. She then noticed how peaceful he looked as he slept and noted she liked him like this, _quiet_. She smiled at the thought as she reached out for his bare shoulder to nudge him awake. But before her fingers even touched his skin, she was grabbed roughly above the elbow and flipped on to the bed.

Speedy rolled on top of her quickly and then just as fast had his forearm tucked under her neck almost choking her. "Speedy!" she yelled out as her free hand came up to his arm.

"Bee?" He looked baffled as he loosen his hold on her. "The fuck?" He still looked a little out of it. "What are you doing? You scared the hell out of me."

"I came to wake you up for morning training," she told him.

"I thought I told you, you didn't have to do that." He propped himself up and looked down at her.

"I don't like being told what I can and can not do," she began, but then looked at him softly. "Look Speedy, I know you feel like the odd ball when it comes to rest of the team. I'm only-"

"Shut up," he told her. "You don't know how I feel and I'll be damned if I let you sit here and analyze me."

Bumblebee shook her head. "Fine. Whatever. I'm sick of trying anyway, so just get off me," she explained in a dull voice.

"Huh?" Speedy said softly as he blinked a few times behind his mask. It was just way too early for his brain to be functioning properly. A slow smirk then started to appear on his face as he realized for the first time what kind of position they were in. "You know, I could kind of get used to this," he told her as he brushed the back of his hand along her cheek.

Bumblebee looked at him with deadpan eyes. "You have lost your ever-loving mind, haven't you?" she asked him before smacking him hard across the head. "Now off!"

"Ow!" he yelled angrily before he grabbed her arms and forced them down to her sides. "I'll put up with a lot of things from you, Bee," he began darkly. "But don't ever hit me. Understand?" Bumblebee then gave him a half concern half frighten look as she was about to answer him, but before she had a chance, she saw the smile that Speedy was trying to force back, but couldn't. "But then again, if you like it rough, I guess I can make an exception."

Bumblebee glared at him with venom in her eyes, but then her expression turned to complete horror as she felt Speedy's pelvis press into hers. "Fuck you!" she yelled and started struggling underneath him, but soon realized he was stronger than she once thought he was.

Speedy only laughed. "What an interesting choice of-" he was cut off as he felt something sharp on his side. Bumblebee hadn't been struggling for nothing; she had grabbed one of her Bee Stingers.

"Unlike you, Speedy," her voice was low. "When I make a threat, I mean it. So if you don't get off me in the next two seconds, I swear I'll blast a hole in your stomach so big, it'll take Mas y Menos a day to run around it."

The smile finally fell off Speedy's face. "I was only playing, Bee."

"Well, I don't play like that," she said as she stuck the Bee Stinger further into his side. She then sighed a bit as her voice calmed. "Why can't you just respect me?" she asked him.

Speedy looked a little taken back by the question. "But I do," he confirmed.

"And this is how you show it? By harassing me like this?"

Speedy then cast his eyes away from hers as it was followed by a moment of silence. "Dammit," he finally said to himself. "Fine. You win," he said before he untangled himself from the sheets and got out of bed. He stood with his bare back to his teammate. "Happy now? I'm up," he said as he grabbed a bottle of pills from his nightstand and popped a few of them.

Bumblebee said nothing as she replaced her Bee Stinger, rose out of bed, and started walking towards the exit. The door opened and she was about to step out when Speedy called her. She still had her back towards his naked form as he spoke. "Oh and Bee, just for future reference," his smile returned. "I like it when you scream my name."

Bumblebee merely shook her head before she responded with her own smile. "Just handle your business. I 'm sure, with a name like yours, it won't take you long." She then allowed the door to close behind her as she walked down the hall to the elevator, but before she even reached it, she put one hand to her stomach and the other to her mouth.

She then started to run down the hall, pass the elevator, and to the bathroom on that floor. She couldn't quite make it to the toilet and so she emptied the contents of her stomach into the nearby sink. "Shit," she said quietly to herself as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before running the water in the sink. She then looked at herself in the mirror, she was slightly trembling. She realized then that she had let Speedy get to her. "I can't work like this," she concluded.

A few minutes later, Bumblebee joined Aqualad and Mas y Menos in the training room. Speedy hadn't arrived yet. "Aqualad, we need to talk," Bumblebee called her second-in-command.

"What is it?" he asked as she pulled him into a corner. He could tell there was something off about her.

"I want him gone, Aqualad. Today."

To Be Continued. . .

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**A/N**: Yeah, maybe longer than four chapters at this point. 


	3. The Secrets We Hold

Posted: June 20, 2005 

**Chapter Three:** The Secerts We Hold

She had gone to him willingly. It had always been willingly. He had trusted her and so she had been one of the few that he never had to control. She would have done anything for him. . . _then_. So she had become his prize student, his top student. Wanting to please him ever since they found each other when she was a mere child of eleven.

He was fascinated with her, she knew, in a way that was not proper for a grown man to be fascinated with a child. He would often invite her to have private study sessions with him. A little one-on-one tutoring, saying he wanted his top student to stay his top student, but there was never any studying done, not once. And she never said a word when she was with him, as she did what was expected of her.

She would undress herself in his presence and he would wait for her to join him as he sat comfortably in a large bath. But the bath was never filled with water, as one would expect, but with the essence of another's life. The crimson wet liquid would shine bright under the lights as she would let it engulf her small body, before bathing herself within it.

He had never touched her when she was younger as he had preferred to watch. . . _then_. It wasn't until she had turned fourteen that their routine started to change. It had started out just like any other night. She had gone to him, undressed, and had bathed as he watched. But then he did something that had completely taken her by surprise. As she had finished and was about to rise out of the bath, he had stopped her by lightly grabbing her forearm. He then pulled her to him, encasing her within his arms. She was frightened and confused as he told her she would not be returning to her quarters that night. He then asked her if that was okay, but he already knew the answer she would give him.

It was that night that she realized that he never had to physically warp her mind -like the other students- because with her, he had simply done it with his words. She was only a child when she had joined him; she was easy to influence, easy to manipulate. Within her time at the school, he had trained her body to be strong -- to be lethal, if necessary, but he had also trained her mind to obey him, and it had to end. She decided she would not be controlled anymore and that she would not let another man order her around or use her as if she were his property. So she had never been the spy the others had come to believe that she was, because she had been worst than that, she had been a traitor.

"Shit," Bumblebee said quietly to herself as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before running the water in the sink to clean up the mess she had made. She then looked at herself in the mirror, she was slightly trembling. She knew Speedy didn't mean to, but for a split second, he had made her feel as if she were that fourteen years old girl again, covered in blood under a man she had not the power to fight back. She didn't want that, she didn't want to feel as if someone had a control over her and in his own way, Speedy did. "I can't work like this," Bumblebee concluded.

OoOoO

Aqualad was in one of the many rooms within the training area. He had just gotten finished taking a quick dip in the pool which, unlike the one in the common area, lead straight out to the ocean that surrounded their Tower. He was in the middle of watching and laughing at the twins who were doing more playing than training as Menos was chasing after Mas trying to trip him with at fighting staff. He was amazed how slow they seemed when they weren't touching each other to run at a super high speed. He was in the middle of that thought as he heard Bumblebee call him. "Aqualad, we need to talk," she told him as she took him by the arm and pulled him into a corner.

Aqualad looked at her oddly as he realized there was something off about her since he spoke to her that morning. "What is it?" he asked.

Bumblebee looked at her most trusted friend and said firmly. "I want him gone, Aqualad. Today."

Needless to say, he knew exactly whom she meant and though the two had never gotten along well, she had never once said she wanted him gone. What had changed? "What do you mean, you want him gone?"

"Gone. As in not here -- not in the Tower -- not on the team," she told him. "I don't want to deal with him anymore."

Aqualad was confused; he didn't know where this was coming from. "Alright, Bee," he took her arms and looked at her seriously. "But I need you to talk to me. Why?"

Bumblebee couldn't look at him. Aqualad was her best friend, that went beyond doubt; she trusted him with her life, but not with her secrets. When they had met, back when they were thirteen years old, it was an instant bond of air and sea. They told each other everything, but she could never bring herself to tell him about the Brother Blood she knew behind close doors. She was ashamed of it, ashamed of herself. "Please, just second the decision." She looked back up at him. "Please."

"What?" Aqualad whispered astonished. He had never known Bumblebee to stoop down to, something she thought of as lowly, as begging. "You know I can't second a decision like that, not without an explanation and you have failed to give me one."

"Don't you trust me?" Her eyebrows drew together.

"That doesn't even need to be asked. But that has nothing to do with what you have asked of me."

"So you're taking his side?" She pulled herself away from him.

"I don't even know what we're talking about," Aqualad almost yelled.

"Well, well, well," Speedy strode into the room, a small frown on his face and a bow in his hand. "what do we have here? A lover's spat, maybe?"

"Mind your own business, Speedy. This doesn't concern you," Bumblebee stated.

"That's a straight up lie, because you tell your boyfriend here everything." Speedy looked from her to Aqualad and back to her. "Come on now, I apologized. I didn't mean to scare you upstairs." He smirked.

"I wasn't scared," she said defiantly, trying not to clench her teeth.

"What the hell happened upstairs?" Aqualad asked now growing upset as he looked at his fellow teammates stare each other down. "Bee?"

"Nothing," she stated a moment later. _Forget this. I've gone through worst and I am not letting this boy get to me. I'll show him once and for all who has who and bring him down a peg or two in the process_. Bumblebee smiled inwardly. "Just forget what I said earlier," she directed towards Aqualad. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in the boxing room. I really need to hit something."

As she was starting to walk out of the room she almost fell over Mas who was running pass her to get away from Menos. Then as Menos passed, Bumblebee yanked the staff from his hands. "Alto!" she yelled at the boy. She then turned to Aqualad. "That means stop, right?" And he nodded. "Good." She turned back Menos. "You wouldn't want him to chase you with a stick, would you?" Menos just smiled. "Don't give me that look. I know you understand me." She then handed the staff to Mas. "Here. Have a ball." She then shook her head as she watched Mas began to chase Menos. "Bad ass kids," she commented before leaving the room.

Aqualad turned towards Speedy, who was looking at Bumblebee as she left the room. Speedy looked at her curiously, she seemed quite vengeful, but he shrugged it off as he directed his attention to Aqualad. "Want to spar?" he asked as he pulled out an arrow. "I could do with a moving target."

"What did you do to Bee?" Aqualad got straight to the point.

"Like the lady said," he placed the arrow on the bow and got ready to shoot it, "_nothing_. So are you going to move, or would you rather I shoot you point blank? Though honestly, that doesn't help me none." Aqualad knew he wasn't going to get anything out of the archer anytime soon. He would have to try his luck later, because he knew Bumblebee's request was more than nothing.

OoOoO

"God, I hate my life," Speedy said to himself. It was later in the day and he was in this room cleaning off the guck that had explored near him earlier that day. It had been about midday when they had gotten the alert that some lunatic, named Pioneer, had equipped the bridge with explosives and was holding the city hostage until he got the amount of cash he wanted. He gave the city five hours to come up with it or they would have to kiss their bridge good-bye and soon following, their beloved Steel City.

As they had arrived, the last remaining people were running off the bridge towards the city, because Pioneer, a burly man dressed in brown and gold, had his minions blocking the other side of the bridge which prevented anyone from leaving. The minions, the Titans were able to defeat without much help from each other as they avoided the minions' weapons. The weapons were gun type devices that shot out a pinkish sticky goo. As the Titans fought they discovered that the minions were also made of the same goo.

Before long there stood only the five and their newest villain. "Now, now children," began the older man. "If you wanted to play," the pinkish goo swirled around his hands at a furious rate, "all you had to do was ask." He then swung both of his arms in front of his body, bring his wrist together. As they connected the pink goo broke off and from into thousands of solid sphere pieces before shooting out in all directions, heading towards each Titan.

"Titans move!" Bumblebee yelled and the team scattered.

Mas y Menos dodged each shot easily with their speed, but found that they couldn't get any closer to the enemy than he would allow them to. Aqualad was able to deflect all incoming shots by putting up a barricade of water, changing the current flow within it, and then shoot the pellets back out at Pioneer.

Pioneer not expecting his own weapon to be shot back at him was hit several times in surprise my them as he staggered back a few steps. After quickly regain his footing, he laughed. "I'm impressed," but he then frowned, "but now you've pissed me off," he stated as he sent out another arsenal of pink bullets.

Speedy jumped backwards onto an abandon vehicle as he began reaching for his unlimited supply of arrows at a remarkable velocity as he shot three- four of them at a time. Each arrow collided head-on with a corresponding pink bullets. Bumblebee had shrunk down to her smallest size as she zigged and zagged through an air maze of the blurring objects.

Being so small, Pioneer had been unable to see her at first, but his eyes had soon picked up the fluttering wings coming towards him. Now distracted by the heroine, Mas y Menos took the opportunity to get closer. Bumblebee, though small, could still pack a punch as though she were her original size. Her left hand balled into fist and she struck Pioneer's face with a fearsome blow. Mas y Menos seemlesslyy appeared out of nowhere and tripped Pioneer so they he fell on his back. As he tried to rise he was immediately doused with an onslaught of water, courtesy of the Atlantian. "Come on Speedy," Aqualad shouted over the rush of the water to the boy whom had taken a sit on the car he had been on. "We don't have all day."

"Just hold your sea horses!" Speedy shouted back to be heard as he loaded his bow with an arrow leisurely. He then saw Aqualad turn to Bumblebee and Mas y Menos saying something Speedy couldn't hear, but he saw the smiles on the other's faces. Speedy then lined up his shot pointing it towards Aqualad as he murmured to himself, "One of these days." He then aimed it towards Pioneer. "Now!" he shouted and Aqualad ceased his water attack as Speedy's arrow went zipping through the air. It glided gracefully towards its target before the end of the arrow opened up and released a net to capture Pioneer so that they could deliver him to the nearest jail cell.

But Pioneer had been quicker than they had imagined, for he was able to send out one last echo of an assault towards Speedy before the net tightly wrapped around his body, leaving his hands at his sides. "Speedy, watch out!" he heard Aqualad yell. With no time to reload his bow, Speedy quickly jumped out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough as several of the sphere bullets struck him with an unimaginable force while midair. It also didn't helpnone as he crashed back into the car before rolling off of it and landing on the ground.

He groaned slightly as he tried to pick himself up, but couldn't lift himself off his hands and knees. He then heard the sound of footsteps coming in his direction. "Come on, we'll get you back to the Tower and check you out," Aqualad explained to him as he held him up while Menos picked up his bow which had fallen from Speedy's hand.

"Where's Bee?" Speedy asked groggily as he put an arm around Aqualad as he other hand came up to his head. "Damn, that hurt."

Aqualad then answered his question. "She's taking Pioneer to jail."

"She didn't wait to see if I was okay?"

Aqualad cocked an eyebrow. "You seem disappointed."

"Well, I'm not." Speedy looked at him with narrowed eyes. He then sighed. "Let's just get back to the Tower."

So now Speedy was his room, growing furious as he continued to try to scrub the guck off his favorite bow. "Get off!" he yelled at it, as though it would help. He then heard a knock at the door and his head snapped up at the sound. And so he placed his bow down on the bed and stood up as a small smile came across his lips. But his smile was soon replaced with a frown as a sharp pain struck him in the side. He was still quite sore from the day, but he tried not to let that bother him as he went over to the door. His smile returned as he started to open it and spoke. "So you finally came to check on me. Worried, are we?"

"No, not really." Aqualad smiled at him as Speedy's door fully opened.

Speedy's shoulders dropped. "What do you want, Fish Boy?" he asked him.

"I want to talk to you," he said as he barged into his teammate's room.

"About what?" Speedy asked a little agitated.

"About what happened with you and Bee this morning," he explained. "She won't talk to me and that's not like her."

Speedy felt like he was being interrogated and he didn't like it. "Look, I know that this is kind of hard for you to understand, but like I told you before, nothing happened." He then smirked. "And even if something did, it wouldn't be any of your business." He started to walk away from Aqualad, wanting to get back to cleaning his bow.

But Aqualad grabbed his arm as he passed. "No, you look," he began. "I am tired of all the bullshit between you two. So we're going to talk about it, we're going to work it out, and we're going to end this."

"There's nothing to discuss," Speedy almost yelled as he pushed Aqualad's hand off of him.

"Then why did she want you off the team?"

Speedy looked at him in surprise. "You're playing with me."

"I don't play," Aqualad confirmed. "So talk. Now."

To Be Continued. . .


	4. A Friend's Duty

Posted: August 16, 2005

**Chapter Four:** A Friend's Duty

Aqualad paced the length of the Tower. He sighed heavily as he crossed his arms and continued to look over the city. It had been hours since they had sent Bumblebee out on her own to put Pioneer in jail. In that time they had returned Speedy to the Tower to treat his minor injuries and had gone back to the bridge to find and destroy the bombs that Pioneer had set up.

"Where the hell is she?" Aqualad asked out loud. This was all starting to be too strange for him. Every time they had gone as a group to drop off the bad guy it never took more than half an hour, but every time Bumblebee went alone, if felt like it took all day. Sure, Aqualad knew he didn't have to know where she was every single moment of every single day, it wasn't his place and so he never called her out about it, but today she was taking longer than usually. . . even for her.

Then finally, he saw a twinkle in the sky. It was Bumblebee as the sun's light reflected off her wings as she flew. Aqualad watched as he went unnoticed by her as she flew towards the Tower and only stopped long enough to open her window and fly in. After a few minutes of contemplating what he was going to say to her, Aqualad headed towards the door and down to his leader's room.

Her room was only a floor down from the roof so the journey did not take him long. He stood in front of her door and rose his hand as he balled it into a fist to knock, but something stopped him and for the longest time he stood frozen in his position. Something Aqualad had never heard before within the Tower was coming from the other side of the door. Finally, Aqualad's hand slowly retook its place by his side as he recognized the sound. It was the sound of crying.

Aqualad had to admit, the sound completely threw him off. He didn't even know she knew how to cry. She had always been this pillar of unbreakable strength to him that sometimes he forgot that she was only human. "Bee?" he called softly, but loud enough to be heard.

He heard her gasp and then the sound of things being scattered around. "Hold on," she told him before she finally came to the door. She was wearing a smile that to anyone else would have seem sincere, but to one who knew her well, as he did, he could see the falsehood behind it. "Did you need something?" she asked him as she allowed him into her room. Aqualad said nothing at first as he approached the bed and sat down. He crossed his fingers as his arms rested on his legs. "Al?" she called him for short when they were alone. "Al, what's wrong?" her voice was full with concern.

"I was just about to ask you the same question," he confessed.

Bumblebee then placed on that false smile again as she shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with me."

Aqualad looked up at her from the bed as a frown marked his features. "I never thought I would live to see the day where you would start lying to me, Bee."

"I'm not lying," she tried to convince him, but her body language gave her away as she protectively wrapped her arms around herself.

"I want to help, Bee. Whatever it is, you know you can tell me," he told her as he stood up and walked towards her.

"I know, Al. It's just," she held herself tighter, "you can't help me." She lowered her head as she whispered, "No one can help me."

Aqualad looked at her oddly. This was not the Bumblebee he knew. This was the scared girl he had seen this morning; the one that had begged for his help. "Is this still about Speedy?"

She gave an empty laugh. "No, I can handled him on my own." But that was not the impression she had left him with earlier that day.

"What happened this morning between you two?" Aqualad's voice sounded unfamiliar to himself.

"Will you lay off that already? I'm tired of repeating myself." She turned away from him and stood in front of her dresser as she searched for something in one of drawers.

"Bee, don't turn your back on me when we're talking." He reached out his hand and took her by the arm to turn her back towards him.

Bumblebee, as she was whipped back around, only looked down at where Aqualad held her. "Don't." She never rose her eyes to his. "Don't start this now. You have never tired to control me Al and I love you for that, so don't you dare start now."

"That's not want I'm trying to do." He released her. "I'm worried about you, that's all. Why won't you just talk to me?"

She then finally looked up at him. "I want to be alone now."

"Bee-"

"I said now."

He nodded his head. "Fine."

He walked towards the door, but before he could open it he heard Bumblebee's voice, "I didn't mean for you to be angry with me."

"I'm not." He turned to her. "I just thought we were beyond this, but apparently I was mistaken."

He went to leave again. "Dammit, Al wait." He stopped again. "I need to ask you something. Something important."

"What is it?"

"Do you think I'm good at this? Am I just falling on my face?" she asked tenderly. "I mean, I'm not as patient as Cyborg. I'm not as coordinated as him. I don't make great little speeches before we head out into battle. I can't even get the twins to eat my cooking, and they eat about anything." Her shoulders slumped.

Aqualad smiled as he drew near her. "Come, sit down with me," he told her and when they were settled he began. "We're superheroes, Bee, but that doesn't mean we're perfect. Yes, we go out there almost every day and we risk our lives to save people we don't even know. So people tend to look at us like we are more, or in some cases less, than human. Like we don't have normal lives, but we are just that, we are only human. So you don't have to put on an act for me. It's okay for you to be real. It's okay for you to be scared and to be uncertain." He placed his hand on top of hers. "It's even okay for you to cry. You have that right."

Bumblebee lowered her head. "Bee," his voice was soothing. "We have seen a lot of things in our lives. We have seen lost, destruction, and the most ugliest side of man, but don't lose yourself in that and if you find that are. . .you know where to find me."

"Thank you," she said weakly as he pulled her into an embrace and gave her a brotherly kiss on the forehead. "But what I really wanted to hear was that you like my cooking."

Aqualad laughed. "Then I would be lying." She smiled along with him as they pulled away from each other. "Besides, Speedy has declared himself chef of the house so I see it as one less chore for the rest of us."

"Yeah," Bumblebee agreed as the smile slowly slipped off her face and she once again wrapped her arms around herself.

Aqualad's brow drew together in deep thought as he witnessed the change in her. He thought he had cheered her up. "Is there anything else you want to say to me?" He hoped she would open up, but she shook her no and Aqualad headed out to leave her with her thoughts.

OoOoO

Aqualad swiftly walked down the hall. He road the elevator to the fourth floor and got out as he found himself on a mission. He knew whatever Bumblebee wasn't telling him was hurting her. So much so, that she couldn't bring herself to admit that she was in pain. Aqualad would not allow that. He had tried to ease her worries, but there was still something else, something he couldn't touch. He realized that the mention of Speedy had effected her and so decided he was going to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

Aqualad wasted no time as he pounded on Speedy's door. He heard a groan from the other side as he waited for the door to open. Before he even saw the archer he heard his voice. "So you finally came to check on me. Worried, are we?" When Speedy did come into his view the smile on his face immediately fell.

"No, not really." Aqualad smiled at the displeasured Speedy took finding him at his door, but the smile was cold, as it didn't reach his eyes.

Speedy's shoulders dropped. "What do you want, Fish Boy?" he asked him.

"I want to talk to you," he told him in authorize type voice as he pushed Speedy out the way and forced himself to his teammate's room.

Speedy cocked an eyebrow at him as he was shoved. "About what?" he asked as he rubbed his now sore shoulder, which joined the rest of his body as it ached.

"About what happened with you and Bee this morning," Aqualad explained. "She won't talk to me and that's not like her."

Speedy lowered his hand and held is head high. "Look, I know that this is kind of hard for you to understand, but like I told you before, nothing happened." He then smirked with a light chuckle on his lips. "And even if something did, it wouldn't be any of your business." He then started to walk away from Aqualad. He had been cleaning his bow and wanted to get back to it.

Then out of nowhere Aqualad's hand shot out and grabbed Speedy's arm before he could pass. In surprise of the gesture, Speedy swiftly turned his head back to him. They had only been a team for a short while, but Aqualad had never come off as an aggressive type person. In fact, he was so eerily calm that it gave Speedy the shivers how he could keep his cool, but apparently that wasn't the case today.

"No, you look," Aqualad began through clench teeth. "I am tired of all the bullshit between you two. So we're going to talk about it, we're going to work it out, and we're going to end this."

"There's nothing to discuss," Speedy tried to keep his voice and tone in check as he pushed the offending grip off of himself.

"Then why did she want you off the team?"

Speedy, for the second time that day, looked at him in surprise. "You're playing with me."

"I don't play," Aqualad confirmed. "So talk. Now."

"It was a joke. Nothing more." Speedy hoped that Aqualad missed the panic that lined his words. "I wasn't actually going to do anything. I just wanted to shake her up a bit, alright?" he tried to explain. "I was never going to force her into anything."

Aqualad brow creased heavily. "Force her into what?" he asked expecting a quick reply, but became disturbed as he saw the nervousness of Speedy fade away as it was replaced with one of his arrogant smiles.

"Intriguing," he stated to himself as he tucked his left arm under the other as his right hand took his chin. "Is the missus keeping secrets from you?" he asked. "Very intriguing. Because I believe if Bee wanted me gone, she would have told me to my face. You're bluffing me."

"You don't understand me and Bee at all. We don't keep secrets from each other."

"Really?" Speedy placed both of his hands on his hip and took a step closer to his teammate. "So she told you she came to see me in my room this morning?"

"I knew it before you did," he told him truthfully.

"I'm sure, but I bet you anything she skipped a few details here and there." His smile grew wider. "Like the fact that she was in my bed," he then whispered, "underneath me, screaming my name?" Speedy waited for a reaction, when none came he took Aqualad's silence as a victory. "But like I said before, I was never going to force her into anything, though I can't say she completely hated the experience. In fact, I think she quite enjoyed-"

"Stop talking," Aqualad interrupted. "Before you dig a hole you can't get out of. Besides, Bee's not like that."

"She's not?" Speedy was amused. "Are you sure? Because maybe your little girlfriend needs-"

"Why do you always call her that?" Aqualad interrupted again.

"Call her what?" he asked.

"My girlfriend."

"Because she is," he said simply. "The way you go around holding, and touching," he threw his hands up in the air and bobbed his head from side to side, "and laughing, and kissing her forehead." He then suddenly dropped his hands and head as he looked at Aqualad. "It's enough to make me sick." As he finished he noticed a slight smile on Aqualad's face. "What?"

"You're jealous of me," Aqualad said with a smile.

"What?" He took a few steps back as if offended.

"Because you're in love with Bee, Aqualad stated as if surprised to hear the words come out his own mouth.

"Nonsense." Speedy turned away from him. "Get out."

"I'm right and you know it, don't you?" he asked as he watched the archer sit on his bed, pick up his bow, and begin to clean it. When Speedy said nothing Aqualad continued. "You're jealous of the relationship I have with her. I always knew you were attracted to her and vise verse," Speedy's head slightly jerked up at the statement, "but I never thought-"

"Please," Speedy interrupted him, lowering his bow. "Look at me. Look at what I do. I have no problem picking up the ladies. So why in the world would I go after someone like Bee who, if you haven't noticed, can't stand me?"

"You've just answered your own question, Speedy," Aqualad tired to explain. "You like the chase, the challenge of it all. When I introduced you two for the first time, you were baffled because she didn't succumb to your charm like other girls. You would have to work for her affections, something you've never had to do before. But Bee's not like the girls who usually chase after your sorry ass and so you don't know how to handle her, so to speak." He shrugged. "And that's why you became fascinated with her, which eventually lead to you loving her."

Speedy scoffed and arched an eyebrow. "Do you know how stupid that sounds?"

"Yes, but that doesn't make it any less true." Aqualad crossed his arms and shifted his weight. "Now, on a very serious note," his tone changed. He was calm again, for the upper hand Speedy once had was now his own. "I would be careful if I were you, because if you do anything that hurts Bee again," he turned around and headed towards the door, "I'll make sure you wake up with the fishes."

Speedy then watched as Aqualad left his room. The threat bothered him none as he once again picked up his bow to finally finish cleaning it. He laughed lightly to himself as he hung it on the wall and looked out the window. "Me in love with Bee? How ridiculous is that?"

To Be Continued. . .


	5. As Sweet As Honey ::V1::

**A/N**: I was trying to have this up earlier, but of course Hurricane Katrina just thought it would be cool to roll by my state and jack my stuff up.

* * *

Posted: August 31, 2005 

**Chapter Five:** As Sweet As Honey

It was nearing dawn already and Bumblebee hadn't been able to get any sleep. She was thankful it was Sunday and that there would be no training until the next day as she tossed and turned in her bed. She soon gave up as she realized that trying to sleep now was pointless. She rose from her bed like she did every morning, but missing was her happy song that she usually hummed to herself as she prepared for the day.

As she turned on the lights and approached her dresser she looked up into the mirror and found she barely recognized herself. Out of habit she reached for her brush, but stopped herself and once again looked into the mirror. She placed her brush back down and picked up her comb and be began to comb her hair back. When she was satisfied, she placed down her comb and with both hands began to braid her hair in a single French plait tying it with a rubber ban and a small yellow ribbon. Bumblebee smiled as she looked at her hair. She looked older, more mature, and she would need to feel that way if she was to. . . Bumblebee shook her head from the thought. She already knew what had to be done, no sense in reminding herself.

It was ten o'clock as left out the doors of the Tower. She was dressed in normal attire with a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt that read 'F#ck Off' in red letters. It was a gift she had received from Raven on her birthday. As Bumblebee read the shirt for the first time Raven spoke. "I thought you would find it amusing." And indeed she had. Over the shirt she wore a light jacket, though it was still early autumn it was quite a cool day and so as she walked she zipped up her jacket and it's offending phrase. She then looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds. She knew it was going to rain later in the day and hoped that she made it home before than.

Bumblebee hadn't stopped in the common area to see the other titans before she left, mostly because she knew Aqualad would be there and if she saw him she would have broken down and told him what she was up to. It took a lot of effort not to before and she didn't want to risk it. Bumblebee had arrived at her destination about an hour later due to the fact that she had walked instead of flew and then had to take a bus. She was in no hurry to do what she was about to do. "Good morning. How may I help you today?" said the man behind the desk.

He was new, Bumblebee could tell. "Dallas, is it?" She smiled politely as she read his nametag. "I'm Bumblebee. I'm here to see a prisoner," she informed him.

"Alright. Sure thing." Dallas pulled out a sign-in book. "Here you go. I just need to know who you want to see."

"Head- Brother Blood," she told him as she signed her name.

"And you're who again?" he asked.

"Honestly." She looked up at him from the book annoyed. "Bum - ble - bee." She broke down her name. "Got it?" He nodded as she straightened herself back up. "Good."

"I'm sorry to inform you, but I have special instructions stating you aren't allow to visit him."

"Special instructions?" She was taken back a bit. "From whom?"

"Aqualad of the Teen Titans."

"You have got to be kidding me?" She turned around and leaned on the desk. "How dare he?" she asked herself before she turned back to Vaughn. "I want to see him anyway," she demanded.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Now!" she roared.

"I can't!" he yelled back.

"Is there something wrong here?" Bumblebee and Dallas turned towards the voice.

"Thank goodness." Bumblebee said in relief as she recognized the officer. "Good morning, Candace." She pointed towards Vaughn. "This idiot won't let me see a prisoner."

Candace turned to Dallas. "Now Vaughn, didn't we have a discussion this very morning about how we to treat members of the Titans?"

"Yes, but-"

"So why did I see you yelling at one?" she asked him sternly. "Must I remind you are alright on thin ice?"

"No ma'am." His jaw clenched and tightened.

"Good." The commanding officer then turned to Bumblebee. "Now who was it you were trying to see?"

"Brother Blood," she informed her.

An 'Oh' expression appeared on her face as she gave Dallas a look. She then slightly shook her head as she looked at Bumblebee. "We have special instructions. . ." she trailed off as Bumblebee rolled her eyes. "But we can work around them."

"Thank you."

OoOoO

Bumblebee sighed heavily as she sat in a small room fidgeting with her fingers that sat on her lap underneath the table that stood in the middle of the room. The air in the room was cold, heavy even, as if it knew what was to come. She thought she was out of her mind and wondered what in the world possessed her to come here? She had escaped him. She was free of this, yet she came all the same. Why? Because he had asked her too and so she came. . . willingly.

As she heard the door open behind her, Bumblebee held her breath and the silence in the room suddenly became very clear as all she heard was her own heartbeat within her ear. "Hello, my little Honeybee," his voice cut through the silence like a knife.

"Good morning, Headmaster." She bowed her head towards him as he sat down on the other side of the small square table. She then heard the door close as the officer who had brought him in left them alone. "I have come as you requested."

"Good." His eyes looked above her and at the door before he reached out his hand and stroked her cheek. "Very good." Bumblebee shivered as his cold metal hand made contact with her. "I have so longed for your warmth."

"Then you shouldn't have given yours away." She spoke before she could stop herself. Her head jerked up towards him, wide eyed, as she waited for his reaction.

To her relief as equal to her horror, he only laughed. "Your time away from me has given you quite a spirit." He then leaned in and reached for her plaited hair. "You have defied me. You know how much I adore your pigtails. They made you look so young."

"I am not a child anymore," she explained. "You can't-"

"Silence," he whispered and Bumblebee was amazed at how quickly she still obeyed him. Brother Blood then rose from his seat and walked around the table where his former student sat. He squatted beside her as he grabbed either side of her chair and roughly turned her towards him. He looked onto her face as he spoke. "You have received my letter. This I am sure of as you are here."

Of course she had received that cursed letter. She had stuffed it in her dresser drawer under many clothes after she had finished reading it. Putting it out of her mind all together. She had planned on showing it to Aqualad yesterday, but when he had grabbed her - the way he had grabbed her - she just wanted him to let go.

Brother Blood reached for the zipper of her jacket and slowly began to pull it down. "You know what I need done. You know what you must do." The corners of his month curled as her read her shirt. Even in her silence she got her point across. "Honeybee, look at me," he told her and her dark green eyes soon meet his own. "I need you. No one in this world needs you as much as I do." He took a hold of her face and rose his head until his lips brushed slightly against her. "Doesn't it feel good to be needed? To be wanted?" Bumblebee nodded her head. "That's daddy's good little girl," he said huskily as the space between their lips disappeared and they shared a gentle kiss.

Bumblebee closed her eyes as she felt Brother Blood's tongue slip between the seam of her mouth. Together their tongues played an all to familiar game, a game that came with years of being in the others arms. Brother Blood then wrapped his arms around Bumblebee, pulling her closer to him. Bumblebee followed his lead as she went to wrap her arms around his neck, but suddenly she pulled back as her skin, once again, came into contact with cold metal. Brother Blood smiled sadly at her reaction. "It's alright, child," he told her as he cupped her cheek in his hand only to have her turn her head away from it.

Brother Blood, a bit angry, stood up and leaned on the table. "Now listen, I want everything done by next week and not a day later. I trust no one else to handle this but you." He then frowned. "Consider you're betrayal forgiven. I have chalked it up to nothing more than teenage rebellion."

"Thank you, Head-"

"No," he interrupted her.

"Thank you, daddy. It will not happen again," Bumblebee assured him.

Brother Blood took her by the chin and lifted her face to look at him. "It better not. For if you side with that borg again-"

"You lecture me, when you were the one obsessed with him?" Bumblebee had found her voice and was going to use it as long as it stayed. "You, who stayed up late hours and broke our routine to study and research him?" She brought her hand up to his, which still had a hold on her. "You, who marred your body to look like the borg?"

Brother Blood smiled in delight as he heard her words. "Is that why you betrayed me?" he asked as he once again stroked her face gently. "Because you were jealous? Because you missed me?"

Bumblebee shook her head as she realized her own words. That couldn't have been it. It couldn't have been mere jealousy. Brother Blood had _abused_ her. She had only been fourteen when it started! She had only been a child! Surely she didn't miss it. "Stop!" she finally yelled pushing her chair out of his reach and stood up. "I am not a child and I am not your puppet. I have my own mind, my own thoughts. I can make my own decisions," she argued.

"Honeybee," he soothed as he held out his arms. "Come to me. . . but only if you choose." Bumblebee hesitated a moment, but then entered into his arms as he knew she would. "There, there. There is no reason to get upset. I never meant for you to feel as if the borg was replacing you. You know you are my sweet, sweet child. My little taste of honey. I long and need for no other."

"I hate this body, daddy," she confessed quietly. "There is no warmth for me here."

"You have the warmth of my heart, dear child."

"A true heart or one of circuits and wires?"

"Is there a difference?"

At his question Bumblebee sighed and closed her eyes wondering, how out of all places, she had found herself here, in the arms of a man she was trying to forget. Had nothing changed? Was she still nothing more than a child to him? For him to beckon and for her to dutifully obeyed? She had to break this. "I can't live like this anymore," she whispered.

"Did you say something?"

Bumblebee slowly pulled herself from him. "No," she told him for the first time in her life.

"No?" Brother Blood looked at her curiously. "What do mean no? No, you didn't say anything?"

"No. As in I won't help you." She shook her head as she backed away. "This has gone on far too long. I should have never came." She started to turn towards the door.

"Stop," he commanded and she stopped for only a moment before she continued.

"Bumblebee," he said angrily as he grabbed her, "you will do as you are told."

"No," she said with determination in her voice. "You deserve to be here. I don't want to be linked to you anymore. I don't want to think about you or like you or be your good little girl. You are a dirty, old man and I hope you rot from the inside out." She pulled her arm away from him. "You have already stolen so much from me and I will no longer allow you to control me." She then zipped up her jacket before she pounded her fist on the door. "I want out!" she bellowed. She heard a buzz and then the door unlocked itself. She opened it and was about to step out when she was once again stopped by Brother Blood.

"No one will ever need or want you as I do." He stared into her eyes. "You will never escape me."

Bumblebee slowly pried his fingers away from her arm. "Maybe, but I can sure as hell try."

Brother Blood smiled. "Can you?" Bumblebee made a disgusted sound before storming off. Soon Brother Blood was being led back to his cell. "Fly away all you like my Honeybee, but you'll return to me," he spoke to himself as he smirked. "You always do."

OoOoO

"Hey there, Bee. You missed dinner. Where have you been all day?" Aqualad asked as Bumblebee took off her jacket and sat down next to him on the couch.

"Out," was her only response. After a while of just sitting on the couch she asked, "Where's everyone else?"

Aqualad didn't look at her as he channeled surfed. "Mas y Menos are out buying a new game for the Game Station. They been gone for awhile, but it'll be dark in an hours time, so they should be back before then. Oh, and uh, Speedy's in the basement working out."

"On a Sunday?"

"Well," Aqualad began, finally looking at her, "it's not like he trains six days a week as we do."

Bumblebee nodded before standing up. "I think I'll go check on him. Oh, and there's something we needed to discuss later."

"What?" he asked.

"Do the words, 'Special Instructions' mean anything at all?"

"Oh. . . that," he said slowly as he lowered the remote and looked back up at his friend. "Look about that, I only did it-" he cut himself off and frowned. "You went to see Brother Blood?"

"No," she lied, "but I was down at the prison. One of the new officers let it slip."

"Bee, I can explain-"

"No, you can't. You went behind my back, Al."

Aqualad sat at the edge of the couch and turned off the t.v as he lowered his head. Lightening clashed and then the cold rain that Bumblebee hoped that she would miss began to pour. "You can't see him, Bee. Promise me you won't."

"I don't have to promise you shit, because you are in the no position to tell me anything." She placed her hands on her hips. "I'm the Titan leader around here-"

"Only because I allowed it," je interrupted her.

"What?" Bumblebee was taken back.

He turned his head to her. "Cyborg came to me when he was having doubts about staying. He told me if he ever left to join back with Robin and them, I was going to take his place. I asked him, if that ever happened, to give it to you instead."

"Why?" she asked softly.

"Because I never wanted you to feel as if I was controlling you. I know you have issues with that and I know it began with Brother Blood." He stood up and stepped over to her. "Bee, I know more than you have ever told me," he said cautiously. " I know-"

"Shut up!" She took a step back and pointed at him. "You don't know me! So don't you dare stand there and pretend you do."

"Bee, look at me," he said taking her hand and placing it above his heart. He then said in a whisper. "I know you better than anyone."

Bumblebee stared at Aqualad's gloved hand over hers and then looked into his black eyes. "Fuck you," she said calmly before slipping out of his grasp and walking out of the common area.

OoOoO

"Shit." Speedy sighed as he laid on the floor looking up at the ceiling. His aim had been off all day. He just couldn't make a shot to save his life. His mind was preoccupied with what Aqualad had told him the day before.

"_You're jealous of me. . . because you're in love with Bee."_

Speedy scoffed, it sounded more ridiculous now than it did then. "What are you looking at?" He heard all of sudden and snapped up. He found Bumblebee walking towards him and looking at the ceiling.

"Nothing. I'm just relaxing."

"Ah," she said looking down at him, "that sounds more like you. Aqualad had told me you were training."

"I was, but. . ." he faded out and just shrugged. He sighed as he looked up at Bumblebee. "Bee, seriously, about yesterday-"

"Forget about it." She waved her hand and shook her head.

"I would like to apologize anyway," he told her. "I'm sorry. It was joke. A bad one at that."

"Apology accepted. Now get off the floor and let's go up." She held out her hand. "I can almost guarantee the t.v. is free."

Speedy saw her hand but chose to get up on his own as he picked up his bow. The two of them walked to the elevator. Once inside Bumblebee spoke. "Why don't you ever accept my help?" she asked him out of curiosity. "Why won't you allow me to be nice to you?"

"I just don't want to be depended on anyone."

"Yes, I understand that, but a team is suppose to be able to depend on each other."

"Your point, Bee?" Speedy could almost feel the argument coming.

"I just thought if you could depend-" She lowered her head as she sighed. "Need me."

Speedy stared at her for a moment. "But I already need you, Bee." He found himself saying.

Bumblebee looked back up at him. "You do?"

"Of course. Since I joined this team, no one has pushed my buttons and challenged me as you have. And I think I'm better for it and that's something I need."

"Can you prove it?" she asked him softly, taking a step closer.

Speedy looked at her curiously. _Where is she going with this?_ he wondered.

"Huh, Speedy?" She looked frighten. "Can you prove to me that you need me?"

_Is she asking me, what I think she is?_ Speedy asked himself, but said nothing as he started to close the distance between them. He then stopped as if waiting for her to protest, but when none came he continued and then, for the first time, their lips touched. Speedy's bow slowly started to slip from his fingers and then dropped to the ground with a clash to the elevator floor. His hands then slid up her arms and he pulled her even closer as they wrapped their arms around each other.

Speedy smiled as their kiss finally ended and Bumblebee rested her head on his shoulder. Speedy then heard her whisper something that sounded a lot like, "You're so warm."

To Be Continued. . .

* * *

**A/N:** I usually don't do this. . . but damn, I'm good. And Yay, I got a few chapter titles! 

Plus AshC. I got it this time, I promise. So I'll be emailing you if that's cool.


	6. This Little Child ::V1::

**A/N**: Alright, for some reason I'm expecting a bit of backlash because of this chapter.

Also special thanks to AshCarroll aka ShadowDiva and E.T. for the Spanish. Yea!

* * *

Posted: September 14, 2005 

**Chapter Six: **This Little Child

It was nearing midnight as Speedy woke up in his bed to discover that he was not alone within it. He smiled to himself as he sat up and looked down upon Bumblebee. It had rained earlier that evening, but now the moon was out and Speedy adored the way its bright beams highlighted her face. He thought she looked angelic within its nightly glow.

Speedy then rose from his bed and started to collect the clothes that they had urgently taken off earlier that night. He piled then on the bed as he stood over them and began to fold them.

Speedy liked order; he liked structure. . . when it best accommodated him of course. That's why he didn't understand his attraction to Bumblebee. She was wild, she was -as of late- unpredictable, and worst of all, hard to understand. What had taken place in the elevator had just gone completely over Speedy's head, she had always kept him at a distance, so why had tonight been different? Speedy didn't know, but he wasn't going to let it bother him.

When he was finished with the clothes he laid Bumblebee's items on the nightstand beside her. He then took his own clothes and placed them in the hamper before heading towards his closet to put out something to wear in the morning.

As he was in his closet he heard Bumblebee slightly whimper and turned around to look at her. She was reaching out for him, but couldn't find him. "Here I am," he said quietly as he climbed back into bed putting Bumblebee's arm around him.

She sighed contently as she moved her hand up his chest and around his neck. She then frowned and opened her eyes. "Speedy?" She sat up a little, looking a bit confused.

"Yeah?" he said wondering about her expression.

Bumblebee said nothing at first and then cuddled into him. "Tell me I'm sweet. . ."

"Like honey?" he asked her. She nodded as she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. Speedy held her to him; she had been making little requests like that all night. She had wanted to be told she was needed, that she was desired, and that she was as sweet as a honeybee.

Speedy gladly complied, but when she had asked to be called, 'a good little girl' he couldn't help but respond with, "Why? Are you finally going to make that ham sandwich for me?"

Bumblebee had laughed as she said, "You're still a pig."

"Well, then," he began. "Oink-oink, baby." He then had pulled her into another round of kissing.

Now as Speedy laid in his bed with her securely in his hold, he realized Aqualad's words weren't as ridiculous as he once thought. No, at this point in time, he wasn't in love with her, but as he watched her sleep so peacefully, he realized that he could truly get used to this. He realized that he could love someone like her, and if she allowed him too. . . he would try. "Sweet, my ass," he whispered to her sleeping form. "You're a bitch," he smiled, "and that's exactly how I like you."

Speedy then began to caress her face gently. Bumblebee smiled as she whispered, "Daddy." Speedy looked at her curiously, that was quite odd in his opinion, but just assumed she was dreaming about her family and soon fell asleep himself.

OoOoO

Speedy groaned as he sat up, stretching his arms and yawning. It had been a good night he realized as he turned his head only to find the Bumblebee was gone. He frowned a bit, too stubborn in his ways to admit he was disappointed. He then walked over to his vanity dresser as he opened the top drawer, his frown deepened.

Him and Bumblebee had found there way over here last night in the dark. He had her pushed up against the dresser as he had opened the drawer to look for condom. And although it was very dark she had manage to make out a couple of his prescription bottles and asked him what they were for. He had simply told her they were nothing and almost slammed her hand in the drawer as she begun to reach in, but she said nothing more about the subject and so they continued about their own business.

Speedy, as he took a few pills, smiled as the rest of the night came back to him and he gathered his clothes, a towel, and headed to the bathroom. Bumblebee had had a power trip, telling him that she was the one in control and that she didn't need permission from anyone. Speedy thought it was like that now and so didn't see why she felt the need to emphasize it, but like many things, the red head just shrugged it off.

When Speedy was done preparing for the day he headed down to the common area of the Tower, but saw no one there. He looked at the clock and saw that it was too late for them to be training, but decided to head down there anyway. He was truly confused when he also saw no one there either. A little concerned he pulled out his Titan Communicator and called Bumblebee. "Where are you?" he asked when she answered.

"Mas' room," she told him.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Why don't you stop being lazy and see for yourself?" she snapped and closed her communicator.

Speedy shook his head and then began his way to Mas' room, which was on the second floor along with his brother's. When he reached the door he didn't bother to knock, but went straight on in. He found Bumblebee on the top bunk of a bunk bed with Mas, still in his pajamas, in her arms. "He's taken ill," she informed him. "He has a fever of a hundred and three, but he's shaking like he's cold."

Bumblebee had a bowl of cold water next to her. She dipped in a towel and wrung in out with one hand before pushing Mas' brown hair out the way and sliding the towel across his forehead. Mas then said something that Bumblebee didn't have to know Spanish to understand. "Mama," he called softly.

Bumblebee looked at Speedy, distress was written all over her face. "He's been calling me that for awhile."

"Mamá, lo siento. Yo no signifiqué lo," he then started violently coughing.

"Where are Aqualad and Menos?" Speedy asked her as he climbed onto the bunk and sat next to her.

"After his fever reached a hundred and he started slipping in and out of consciousness, I had them go get the doctor."

"Yo nunca lo haré otra vez. Sinceramente, lo siento."

"What's he saying?" Bumblebee asked Speedy.

Speedy shook his head. "All I understand is. . . he's sorry."

Bumblebee had a blank expression on her face before she lowered her head on to the top of Mas'. "Sorry for what?"

"How long have you been here with him, Bee?"

"Only a few hours," she explained as she once again dipped the towel into the bowl. "I left your room early this morning, because I knew Aqualad would come to mine and want to soothe things over after last night. . . we had a fight," she added. "It didn't go as while as it should have, but after agreeing to disagree, we headed to the basement to wait for the boys." She replaced the towel. "Only Menos came down, still and his nightclothes, and began speaking rapidly to Aqualad." She sighed. "Then, before long, I was here."

"You look tired, Bee." Speedy reached for the small child. "You need a break. Let me take over for awhile."

She looked at the red head gratefully as she started to pass Mas over.

As Mas was starting to be passed over, he opened his blue eyes and took in the blurry form of Speedy. "No!" Mas screamed as he frantically clung onto Bumblebee. "Por favor, no me sale, la mamá. No me dé al diablo. Lo siento!"

"Shh!" she tired to calm him as she pulled him back to her. "It's okay, Mas. It's okay." She then looked back at Speedy as she smiled sadly. "Nevertheless thanks, but I should stay with him anyway. As leader he's my responsibility."

"Don't worry, Bee," he took his hand and cupped her cheek, "he's going to be okay," he tried to comfort her.

Bumblebee pushed his hand away. "What are you doing?" she seemed angry.

"Only being affectionate," he told her. "I just thought after last night that-"

"Do yourself a favor, Speedy," she interrupted him. "Don't think. Because I don't need you to be affectionate, but if you want to do something useful you can find out what the hell is taking Aqualad so long."

"Fine," Speedy spat now a little insulted as he jumped down off the bunk and pulled out his communicator as he headed out the door. "Aqualad, where are you guys?"

"We're at the Tower door now. How's Mas?" Aqualad asked.

"I don't think he's doing any better from before you guys left. Bee's upset about it."

"I figured as much. Anyway, Menos and I will be upstairs with the doctor in a moment, so I'll see you in a second." Aqualad then turned off the signal.

Speedy then greeted them as the elevator door opened. He was surprise to see that although the boys were twins that instead of brown hair and blue eyes like Mas, Menos was a blonde with brown eyes.

"Speedy, this is Dr. Yu. Dr. Yu this is the other teammate I was telling you about," Aqualad introduced the two. Menos then took the doctor's hand and led her to his brother's room. "Bee and I have known Dr. Yu for many years. We trust her. In fact, she's the only doctor Bee trusts." Aqualad informed Speedy.

"Dr. Yu." A huge smile spread across Bumblebee's face.

"How are you, dear?" the doctor asked.

"I'm-" she paused. "Getting by. So do you think you can help him?" she asked.

"I'll do my best as always. Can you bring him down for me?"

"Of course." Bumblebee, who had been leaning on the wall leaned forward and began to spread her wings. She flew gently to the ground with Mas safely in her arms. She tried to place him on the lower bunk so that Dr. Yu could examine him, but as she did Mas' hold on her became tighter. Bumblebee looked to the doctor and shrugged.

"It seems that he's keen on you staying." Dr. Yu smiled as she prepared to check Mas out. "It's alright."

"Arigato," Bumblebee said softly as she bowed her head towards the doctor.

OoOoO

"Habríamos estado en casa más pronto, pero obtuvimos separado en el tienda," Menos spoke with his teammates outside of Mas' door, though he was only completely understood by Aqualad. "Llegué en casa primero, pero adivino Mas a la salió la tienda luego que hice porque él no regresó para otra media hora y había empezado a llover tan pronto como yo volví."

"What happened?" Speedy looked to Aqualad as they were all sitting on the floor.

"They got separated. Mas got caught in the rain."

"Ah."

After, what felt like forever, the door opened and Dr. Yu stepped out. Aqualad stood up followed by Speedy and Menos and waited expectantly. "His fever concerns me a little," she began. "I think it may be pneumonia so I wrote out this prescription for him." She handed the paper over to Aqualad. "I would have given it to Bumblebee, but I don't think she's going anywhere. Also make sure he gets the usual: bed rest and plenty of fluids. I'll be back in a few days to check on him, but if you need me sooner, come find me," she directed towards Aqualad.

"Of course, ma'am," he spoke as they walked towards the elevator. "Shall I escort you back?" he asked her.

"No, no," she shook her head as she smiled. "I'll be fine. Go visit the boy."

Aqualad bowed his head in respect before turning around and following Speedy and Menos into the room.

"Did she tell you?" she asked as the other boys came into the room. "She said its pneumonia."

"Soy un chico bueno, mamá. ¿Yo no soy un chico bueno?" Mas spoke tiredly, causing the worried look on Bumblebee's face to deepen.

Speedy tired of waiting around all day, told the others he was going to get started on an early dinner and that he was going to fix Mas a thing of chicken soup. Menos followed him out to help.

"Speedy, wait," Aqualad called after him in the hall. He held out the small sheet of paper Dr. Yu had given him. "Do you think you have time to pick up this prescription first?"

Speedy looked down at the paper. "Oh- um. . ." He looked back up at Aqualad. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Aqualad looked at him strangely. "Why?"

"Well. . . you see, I- never mind." He quickly grabbed the paper. "I'll get it." Speedy then quickly left the room.

"Bee," Aqualad called her softly as he walked towards her and she looked over to him. "I'm sorry about our argument this morning. I never meant for it to sound like I was accusing you of-"

"My God, Al." She covered Mas' ear as the other was pressed against her chest. "I can't believe you are honestly bringing that up now, after what you put me through this morning." She looked at him disbelief. "You say you know me better than anymore, right? So how you could ever think I could be capable of-" She couldn't repeat his words as she just shook her head.

Aqualad sighed. "I'm sorry, Bee. I take back, what I said this morning, a thousand times. I didn't mean-" he paused. "Just tell me we're okay." He waited for her answer, but Bumblebee said nothing. "Bee?"

"Sure, whatever." She didn't look at him.

"Good." He tried to smiled, but failed. "I'm just going to head out now. Are you going to be alright in here with him?" he asked.

Bumblebee looked at him angrily. "Are you sure you didn't mean that the other way around. . . _Aqualad_?" Aqualad licked his lips as he cast his eyes away from her. "Just go. I'm sicker than Mas just looking at you."

His eyes shot back in her direction at her words. Hurt was evident on both of their faces as they had never been at odds like this before. But Aqualad said nothing more as he turned to exit the room, as he did he heard Mas say. "Dígame por favor yo soy un chico bueno, Mamá."

Aqualad brushed it off, Mas had been saying strange things since that morning, but what threw Aqualad off was Bumblebee's response as the door slid shut behind him. "Sí, usted es un chico muy bueno. Tú eresla estrel la brillante de mamá que dispara. . ."

To Be Continued. . .

* * *

**A/N**: As if this story didn't have enough issues, right? 


	7. All the Things We Say

Posted: October 10, 2005

**Chapter Seven: **All the Things We Say

_She lied to me,_ was all Aqualad could think as rested his head on the edge of the tub filled with lukewarm water in the third floor bathroom. Closing his dark black eyes, he let himself slide slowly into it, allowing the water to surround his body as it took a hold of him. Below the water, on the bottom of the white tub, he opened his eyes only to see the blurry ceiling above him. He then let go, what he had been holding on to all day. He let out the most horrendous, tortured scream; for beneath his calm and cool façade laid a man who was ripping himself up inside, for his world -though never normal- was starting to slowly fall down.

_Why did she lie to me about knowing Spanish?_ Aqualad just couldn't figure it out as he concluded that he was just at his wits end when it came to his best friend. He could remember a time when he knew all the right words to say. It used to be easy to make her smile; to make her laugh, but those days seemed so far and in between now.

This morning had been a disaster. He didn't know what had caused him to confront her the way he had, but she had cut him and had cut him deep. How dare she throw back in his face, what he had confided in her? But that was no excuse for his own behavior. He just wished he could take it back, but it was not as if he didn't try. He had tried so hard, but it was still out there, floating in the air and he knew he could never truly take it back. Because no matter how many times he said he was sorry, he couldn't help the eerie feeling telling him he was right, no matter how wrong he wanted to be.

He had gone to see her earlier that morning, as he had almost everyday. It was before dawn as he knocked on her door and she allowed him in. "We need to talk," he stated.

"Well, no one is stopping you," she told him, dressed in nothing more than a blue housecoat and a matching towel wrapped around her wet hair. She walked over to her vanity dresser and picked up her comb as she dropped the towel to the floor.

"I need to know," Aqualad began softly. "Did you go to see Brother Blood yesterday?" He then heard Bumblebee sigh heavily. "You know there are ways for me to find out, but whatever you tell me - I swear, Bee. . . I'll believe you. _Anything_ you tell me, I'll believe you."

Bumblebee lowered her head. "Yes, I went and saw him." She turned to him. "But what does it matter?"

"I-" Aqualad gently took a step towards her. "I know. . . about you and Brother Blood."

"No, you don't," Bumblebee said quickly as she walked passed him to her closet.

"I'm afraid I do," he was concerned. "That's why I'm asking you not to visit him again. I set up those instructions at the jail for you."

"No." She swung her shirt onto the bed. "What you are trying to do is run me and I won't have it. I do what I want when I want."

"All I'm trying to do is care for you," he explained.

"That's all good and well, Al, but if you want to help me, stop talking about things you can't even begin to comprehend."

"I want you to get help," Aqualad blurted out.

Bumblebee turned from her closet and looked at Aqualad strangely. She then said slowly, "Help for what?"

Aqualad scoffed, "Did you not hear me? I said I _know_ about you and Blood."

Bumblebee's face filled with disbelief. "What?"

"Bee," Aqualad walked over to her and said slowly, "I know he used to hurt you."

Bumblebee shook her head as she tried to smile. "What? That's ridiculous."

"Brother Blood told me himself," Aqualad said gently.

"Well, he was lying," she simply told him with an impassive expression.

"Alright, I believe you, but I still want you to see the therapist Dr. Yu recommended. Something isn't right, I can feel it."

"I don't need help, Al. I'm a normal functioning girl," she explained. "And like I told you last night, you don't know me, so don't pretend that you do," she said calmly.

"Do you love me, Bee?" he asked just as calmly.

Bumblebee sneered. "Okay, now you're just messing with me." She turned towards her bed. "Now if you please, I'm trying to get dress."

Aqualad then took a hold of her arm and turned her back to him. "You didn't answer me. Do you love me?" he asked again.

Bumblebee's facial expression softened as she realized he was serious. "From the ground to God," she spoke in a whisper.

"Then do this. . . for me, please."

Bumblebee looked into his pleading eyes and couldn't help herself as she brought her hand up to his face. "You know, things could have been so different," she began, her voice still soft, "if you had just loved me too."

Aqualad grimaced as he lowered Bumblebee's hand. "Please, not this again. You know I love you-"

She took a step back with her head down. "Just not like that, right?"

"Stop trying to change the subject," he protested.

"He'll never love you, you know," she said matter-of-factly, but cruelly as she looked back to him.

"Bee, don't." He pulled away from her. "Not today."

"He doesn't even know you have feelings for him."

"Bumblebee, I said stop."

"And even if he did, the boy is straight, Al."

Aqualad closed his eyes as he shook his head. "Bee, don't say anymore." He knew she was trying to push his buttons. . .

"So he'll never see you the way you see him. You can dream all you want, but you're going to have to wake up and realize you're nothing to him-"

. . . and she had succeed. "Shut the fuck up!" Aqualad yelled at her. "Because I'm not the one in constant need of control because you can't control me! And at least, I'm not so desperate to be needed by someone that I have to mess around with a child!"

Bumblebee froze at his words as her brow drew together. She gave him a curious look before whispering, "I- I don't understand."

"Of course you do." His face was set in anger. "How long did you honestly expect me to turn the other cheek?" he asked her. "I can only protect you for so long."

"Protect me from what?" She looked confused.

He then said gently, "From you going from abusee to abuser."

"What?" Bumblebee shook head from side to side. "Come again."

"Stop playing stupid with me, Bee, because I know about you and Blood and I know about you and Mas!" he yelled.

"Fuck!" Aqualad sat up from his bath. He never meant for it to come out like that - so hostile. Bumblebee had not been pleased with his accusation. She had flipped out, denying any kind of involvement with Brother Blood. She had also told Aqualad he was sick in the head for thinking that she would ever do anything like that to a child, especially Mas or Menos at that matter.

He had apologized immediately, but she wasn't listening and eventually succeeded in kicking him out of her room. Aqualad waited outside her bedroom door, but when she came out she didn't even acknowledge him, she just started walking down the hall. "Bee," he had called. "Come on, Bee. Stop acting childish."

"Childish!" She had turned to him furiously. "Tell me, how would you react if I accused you of something that horrendous? How would you feel, if the person you trusted most in life thought of you as nothing more than a uh-" she struggled to find the right words. "Than a baby raper?" She put her hand above her heart. "That hurts me, Al."

"Bee, I didn't mean-"

"Save it," she had cut him off as she waited for the elevator.

Inside, Aqualad had spoken again. "I still want you to get help."

"No! For what?" she asked.

"To deal with the issues you have with Brother Blood."

"There are no issues," she said, annoyed at the matter.

"Dammit Bee, Blood told me what he used to do to you."

Bumblebee had crossed her arms and leaned on the railing inside the small space. "So are you trying to tell me, that you would take the word of a criminal over mines?"

"I never said that!"

The elevator door had opened. "You didn't have to." She walked out, leaving Aqualad to follow.

"Remember back when we were fourteen and we were supposed to meet for lunch that one afternoon?" he asked her.

Bumblebee froze dead in her tracks. "You said you would never bring that up again," she said in a small voice as she looked towards the floor. "You promised."

"I knew then, Bee." He carried on. "Well, not exactly, but I knew something was wrong that very day. You wouldn't talk about it then-"

"And I won't talk about it now." She had begun walking again towards the training area.

"Won't you at least meet with the therapist?"

Bumblebee groaned as she turned back to her best friend, she knew he was not going to let this issue go, but before she could give the matter any more thought, she heard herself saying, "Fine, but I'm not promising anything." She wasn't surprise by her response; it always seemed that in the long run, she always gave into him. It was a condition of love.

OoOoO

Bumblebee was walking home as her session with her new therapist, Dr. Wolfe had just ended. The session, needless to say, had not gone well. Bumblebee just found that she was unable to open up to anyone other than Aqualad. In the end, the doctor gave her a blank book and told her if she could not open up to her that maybe she could open up to a diary.

Bumblebee found the notion of writing in a diary childish, but Dr. Wolfe insisted and so Bumblebee reluctantly took the book. Soon finding herself in her room, Bumblebee sat at her desk. She turned on the desk lamp as she opened the diary to its first blank page. She picked up a pen and put the tip to the paper. "This is so stupid," she said to herself before begin to write.

_Dear Diary: _

_First let me state, that I'm only doing this to get Aqualad off my back. I just don't understand what his problem is. There are no issues with daddy that I can't-_

Bumblebee stopped as she realized what she had just written. She blinked a few times as she stared down at the word 'daddy.' That was not what she meant to write. Bumblebee then closed the book; she didn't want to write anything else. She crossed her arms on the table before resting her head on top of them. Her shoulders began to shake violently as she started to cry. As she did, she promised herself she would never let that man be the reason tears fell from her eyes again.

To Be Continued. . .


	8. Lines Not Cross ::V1::

**A/N:** Yay! My first chapter of the new year. Let's all give a hand to AshCarroll aka ShadowDiva who got me off my lazy ass and motivated to write this. It only took me three hours!

* * *

Posted: January 1, 2006 

**Chapter Eight: **Lines Not Crossed

"Love?"

"Yes, love," Dr. Wolfe confirmed as she sat down with her patient for another session. Bumblebee had been seeing her once a week for a little over a month now and though the progress had been slow, it was slowly starting to pick up. "Who have you loved in your life?"

Bumblebee sat there a moment before giving her answer. "I've only ever loved two people in my life," she sighed as she continued. "Brother Blood and Aqualad. Aqualad has been everything to me," she smiled at the thought of her best friend. "More than just a friend, but a confidant. We used to share everything."

"You don't now?"

Bumblebee closed her eyes. "I never told him about Blood. I wish I had though. I never wanted him to find out about that until I told him." She looked back to her doctor. "Blood stole that away from me too."

"Tell me, Bee," Dr. Wolfe began carefully. "Why did you allow Blood to have so much power over you?"

"I guess, because I was looking for something," she told her. "And he had made me believe I had found it within him."

"What were you looking for?"

"Funny enough. . . love. Somewhere to belong. To be needed to be wanted," she explained as she spread her wings. "I was born like this," she began slowly. "My parents, well my father, anyway. My mother died giving birth to me. My father blamed me. My childhood was not a happy one." Bumblebee turned her head from the doctor and stared out the window out to the sunny day outside. It seemed to mock her she thought.

"My father was always telling me, I was an embarrassment to him. That he never wanted children in the first place. That I was an accident, but my mother wanted me so badly, and he loved her so much, that he couldn't refuse her. But she was gone now and he was stuck with me. He struck me for the first time when I was seven," Bumblebee stated sadly. "I've fought many villains, been in many battles, but no hit has ever cause me as much pain as his hand on my face. His cold stares and harsh words, are something I could never wish on anyone."

"So how did you end up with Blood?" the doctor probed.

"I was eleven. My father had come home late one night drunk and angry out of his mind. I don't remember anymore," tears slid down her eyes, "but I had done something and he had turned on me. He beat me within an inch of my life and I remember as I took blow after blow, thinking I wanted to be small. So small that he couldn't see me. So small that I could escape without him knowing." She turned back to the doctor. "I guess if you wish for something hard enough, anything can come true. I discovered that night my ability to make myself small and so I escaped. I just flew away. I flew until I could fly no more.

"I had been sleeping on the street for a few nights before I was found by Brother Blood. He asked if I had anyone, if I had a home, if I had parents, somewhere I was wanted. I told him no. He then asked me, if I wanted to be wanted. I told him yes. He then offered me his hand, I took it and for a while, I was happy." Bumblebee smiled.

"He must have seemed like real hero in your eyes."

"He did."

"So what changed? How did it change?"

"Things were good at first. He taught me to be strong, he taught me to fight. He was all that I had, he was my teacher, my friend, he was _daddy_. Things didn't start to become weird until he entered me into the H.I.V.E. Academy. He also started to work there, saying he wanted to be close to me as I attended school. But Blood never got along with my Headmistress, they disagreed on a lot of teaching methods, but still she named him her Deputy Headmaster.

"The bathing ritual started almost as soon as he arrived. I never really liked the sight of blood, but bathing in it every night kind of gets you over it. I never asked him where he had gotten it from. I didn't want to anger him."

"Bee," Dr. Wolfe began gently. "I know this is still a sensitive subject for you, but I want you to tell me about that first night with Blood."

Bumblebee shook her head as she looked down and pulled at the hem of her skirt, it suddenly feeling shorter than it once was. "I- I don't think I'm ready," she confessed.

"I think you are," Dr. Wolfe encouraged her. "The only way you can truly begin to heal is if you're willing to face head on this issue."

"I know," Bumblebee nodded her head. "I know."

Dr. Wolfe gave her a moment, but as her patient seem to be remaining silent, she spoke. "Maybe we should stop here for now. And pick this up next week," she suggested.

"No!" Bumblebee cried loudly. "I can do it," she assured her. "Just let me try."

Dr. Wolfe nodded and waited for the other to begin.

"I was fourteen," Bumblebee began slowly, her eyes staring off into the distance as she remembered that night. "I was done with my bath and was about to get up to take a shower and prepare to go back to my own quarters within the H.I.V.E. Blood had never touched me before as we bathed, so I looked to him curiously as he took my arm, but I said nothing as he pulled me into his arms. That was the first time I realized how warm he felt," she smiled. "It was nice," she then paused before going on. "He held me, until I relaxed within his hold. He told me to take as long as I wanted and so I did. When I was comfortable I wrapped my arms around this neck and cuddled into him.

"Before I knew it, I was being carried from the bathroom into his private quarters. The red blood trailed behind us as his footstep stained the white carpet. He placed me down gently onto his bed and he kissed me. It was a sweet kiss. I can still remember the taste of metallic from his lips. He then asked me, if I knew what he wanted from me, I nodded. His eyes pierced so deeply into mine as he asked me if this was what I wanted and if it wasn't to let him know. I told him that it was okay, that this was what I wanted too, but," Bumblebee scrunched up her face, "the words didn't feel like my own." She then closed her eyes tightly and shook her head as if there was a thought she didn't want there. "But they were, they were mine," she concluded still shaking her head from side to side. "I'm sorry Dr. Wolfe, but I don't want to go on." Bumblebee then brought her legs up to the couch and wrapped her arms around them. "I think I want to go home."

"Of course," Dr. Wolfe stood up and placed a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder. "You did well today."

Bumblebee smiled weakly at her as she held herself tighter. "I- I don't think- can you call Aqualad to come pick me up?"

"Certainly," she told the young girl and then went to the phone to call the Tower.

A few minutes later Aqualad came through the door of the doctor's office. "Dr. Wolfe-" but before he could say anything else he saw the way Bumblebee had curled up into herself on the couch. "Bee?"

Bumblebee looked at him like she was a dear caught in headlights. She quickly rose from the couch and threw her arms around him. Aqualad blinked rapidly in surprise, but did nothing more but return her hug. "Come on," he whispered. "Let's go home."

OoOoO

Bumblebee was in her room, pacing back and forth anxiously as with every few steps she looked over at her door. Finally, after what felt like ages there came a knock. She rushed over to it and opened it. "You're late," she said angrily as Speedy stood in the doorway. She didn't give him any chance to explain, she didn't want it, as she pulled him into the room by his utility belt.

Before Speedy knew it, Bumblebee's mouth was on his own, as he pressed the pad to close the door. "Wait, hold on," he said after a minutes as he pulled away from her. "I want to talk about something."

Bumblebee wasn't having it. "Later," she told him. "After," she made clear as she once again pressed her lips against his. She slowly guided him over to the bed and she received no further protest from him.

Later on, both laid naked and breathless on top of Bumblebee's bed. Bumblebee smiled contently as she rested on Speedy's chest, her finger twirling around his nipple. "That was-" she panted. "That was- wow," was all she could say. "That thing with your tongue."

"Yeah, thought you'd like that," Speedy said before taking her hand and kissing her palm.

Bumblebee frowned and slowly slipped away her hand as she pulled away. She sat up and reached down on the floor to pick up her shirt to put it on. "You should go, before Aqualad comes looking for one of us."

Speedy sat up on his elbows. "Why are you always so concerned about Fish Boy?" Speedy asked. "He isn't the one you're fucking." Then suddenly, he realized that they never really discussed anything about them being sexually exclusive. "Right?" he added.

Bumblebee laughed as she stood up to find her panties. "Is that jealously in your voice, Speedy? Afraid of a little competition, are we?" she asked him teasingly as she found what she was looking for and slipped them on. "Trust me, you got nothing to worry about there. I'm nowhere near Aqualad's type."

"Where do you go every week?" Speedy suddenly asked out of the blue.

The other Titan turned to him. "That's none of your business."

"Maybe not, but it's hard not to find curious how _every_ Thursday you're gone for about two hours, and when you come back you're ready to jump my bones," a smile spread onto his features as he spoke. "Not that I'm complaining or anything. I just want to know what gets you all hot and bothered."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about? Because if it is you can consider this conversation over." Bumblebee bent over and began picking up Speedy's clothes.

"Stop it, Bee, that's not what I wanted to talk about," he told her as he got up and brought her back to the bed. He laid back down and so she sat on his stomach.

"Then what?" she asked. "What did you want?"

Speedy locked his fingers around her back. "I want to know what we're doing?" he asked her seriously. She looked at him with a cocked eyebrow so he went on. "Are we making something here or am I just here to warm your bed?" he got straight to the point.

"Oh," Bumblebee dropped her head and avoided his mask hidden eyes.

"I'm tired of tip-toeing around the others," he told her before taking a breath and licking his lips. "I want to be your man, Bee," he spoke quietly.

"My what?" Bumblebee couldn't help but laugh. "This coming from our resident so called lady's man?" she asked. "Oh, you're a trip, boy." She continued to giggle.

Speedy laughed along with her. "Yeah, you know me, always the jokester."

Bumblebee smiled as she leaned down to kiss her lover's soft lips adoringly, Speedy sat up to meet her. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll be down for dinner, alright? Oh, and can you cook Menos' favorite? He's been kind of bummed lately. Mas is feeling better, but he isn't up to running without tossing his cookies."

"Yeah, no problem," he responded as she got up and grabbed her things for the bathroom before leaving Speedy alone within her room. Speedy fell back on the pillow and closed his eyes. "Always the jokester," he whispered to himself.

To Be Continued. . .


	9. Mad Boy's Love Song

**A/N:** I don't know what I was thinking. This little melody got stuck in my head this morning and I just started adding words to it and came up with _Mad Boy's Love Song_. It makes no sense whatsoever, and the structure is Godawful, but somehow I thought of this story. . . and so here we are. :)

Oh, and just in case: it's mad as in crazy, not mad as in angry.

* * *

Posted: January 6, 2006 

**Chapter** **Nine**: Mad Boy's Love Song

"_Come with me, plea- oh-oh, yeah, right there."_

"Fucking whore," Speedy whispered to himself. It was late, nearing one in the morning, as he sat in a crowded bar on the far side of town on a Friday night. He had ditched his usual uniform and opted for a pair of baggy, black jeans and a dark blue shirt. He also wasn't wearing his mask, but a pair a dark black shades. He had gotten a few strange looks for it, but he didn't care, not tonight anyway. "Bartender!" he screamed, before downing what was left in his glass.

The bartender approached him with a bottle of Scotch in his hand as he refilled the red head's glass. "Rough night?" he asked him gently.

"_You like that?"_

"That's none of your damn business," Speedy said quietly as he lifted the brown liquid to his lips. He didn't need the man hovering over him. Speedy knew he didn't look twenty-one, but he guess he had looked so pathetic when he wondered in that the bartender took pity on him.

"_Hmm. . . yes."_

Speedy nearly coughed up his drink. He could handle his alcohol, he was no stranger to it, but it was his memories of that very evening that haunted him. He closed his eyes as he lowered his shades and placed them on the bar before rubbing his eyes, scrunching up his face. "I was fool to think. . ." he trailed off, running his fingers through his hair and once again tossing back his drink.

"_Where's the lotion, Bee?"_

It was only a few hours ago. Speedy had waken up, about eleven or so, only to found that his body was in need of a little female companionship. He threw on some causal clothes as he dressed before going up to Bumblebee's room. It was late, but he knew she would still be awake. He also knew it was usually her that made the first move whenever they were together, but how could she simply resist this face, he thought as he walked down the hall. Speedy hated to admit it, but he was starting to feel for the girl.

It was Friday night, and he, being the party boy that he was, would have gladly spent the night on the town, but lately he found himself staying at home. He didn't exactly know why at first, but it had occurred to him later on, that he usually ended up with some random fangirl when he went out and he just wasn't up for some meaningless sex, with some meaningless girl. The thought surprisingly had made him happy. He could get use to this, he had thought, being a one woman man.

Though trying to get that point across to Bumblebee didn't go as he had expected. She had thought it was a joke and it bothered him, but he went along with it. He now knew that had been a mistake on his part, but it was okay, was going to fix it. He was going to do it tonight, but as he had reached her door, he heard the unexpected.

"_Dammit, Al, we don't need anymore lotion," Bee had said agitated. Speedy had then hear the knocking on the headboard against the wall as this so called Al person, groaned. _

"_Maybe we wouldn't need so much, it you weren't so damn tight," the man had complained. Speedy's eyes had grown wide, as he finally recognized the voice as his other teammate._

_The archer than heard Bumblebee moan before she spoke. "Harder," she had demanded._

"_I don't want to hurt you," Aqualad had said tenderly._

"_Like you could," she began. "So just give me what I want."_

"_Here?"_

"_Oh, God yes. Don't you dare stop," her voice was filled with a bliss Speedy had become all too familiar with._

_His blood boiled at the sound of it and he shook in his anger. Then, before he could stop himself, found he was pounding furiously on her bedroom door. "Bee!" he had screamed louder than he knew he could. "Open the Goddamn door!"_

_He heard movement in the room before she came to the door. She only opened it about six inches, as she clutched her white housecoat tightly around her small frame. He scoffed, he had already seen every inch of her body, who did she think she was fooling. "What?" The high pitch of her voice had surprised him. She was concerned. "What's the emergency? Is it Mas?"_

_He had ignored her questions. "We need to talk," he hissed. "Now."_

_When Bumblebee realized there was no emergency frowned. She didn't like the tone he was taking with her and so looked visibly upset at being disturbed. "I'm busy," she countered. "So what do you want?" she asked as she shifted her weight, her hand now on her hip._

_Speedy looked over her head to see where Aqualad was in the room, but he was not in his line of sight and all he heard was some music in the background. He then lowered his head and whispered. "Not his type, huh?" Bumblebee looked confused at the comment. "It this why you were so desperate to keep us quiet, because you already had something going on with Aqualad?"_

_Bumblebee's face strangely softened at the accusation. "What do you think I was-" she stopped and turned her head towards the room. "Speedy, it's not what you think," she said lamely. "Aqualad and I have never been more than friends." The statement sounded sad to Speedy's ears, but that didn't last long. "But what I do behind closed doors in my own bedroom, is none of your concern."_

"_It is when you're cheating on me!" he had spat in a angry whisper._

_Bumblebee laughed. "Cheating? What do you think we our, Speedy?"_

_He had no answer for her, for he didn't know himself. Then suddenly the term, 'meaningless sex' took on a new meaning, because that was all he was to her. _

_She shook her head from side to side, reaching out and patted his chest. "Go to bed. . . sweetheart," she said mockingly. Speedy face dropped, that had been the term he had called her no more than yesterday. He thought that when she had sweetly called him 'baby', that they were headed in the right direction. Speedy didn't like to be wrong. "Look, it's obvious that you're starting to become a little more attached than I like," she said truthfully, removing her hand. "You being who you are, I didn't think we would have that problem. It was a mistake. So consider our little arrangement, or whatever you like to call it, over." _

"_Mistake? I was a mis-" he breathed in through his nose to calm himself. It didn't work. "You fucking whore!" he seethed, taking a step back before he did something regrettable. He then began to walk away."I'm going out," he had said with his back to her. "I need a drink," he said to himself._

"Hi," Speedy was whipped from his thoughts as someone sat beside him. He turned his head to get a better look. It was a woman, with too much make-up on on, in his opinion. She was probably just as old as him, maybe even a little over at nineteen, who had a fake I.D. she bought off someone at her school. She was a brunette with blonde highlights and she had the darkest blue eyes, that reminded Speedy of the deepest part of the ocean. She wore a clingy red dress which was much too short Speedy noticed, as he was too drunk to cover up the fact that he staring down at her long legs. She giggled when she noticed. "You look lonesome over here by yourself," she spoke. "Care from some company?"

Speedy raised his uncovered eyes back to meet the womans'. There was a soft smile on her lips as she regarded him. _Bee smiles like that_, Speedy thought for a moment before shaking it out of his head. He had wasted enough energy on her for tonight. "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked her, she nodded and so Speedy called for the bartender once again.

Her name was Jenna, Speedy had discovered as he talked with her. Well, she did most of the talking, Speedy just drank another glass of Scotch and let her. "So," she leaned into him, placing her hand on his thigh suggestively, "How about a dance?" she asked a few minutes later.

Speedy didn't answer, he merely took her hand and stood up before leading her out to the dance floor. The smell of sweat and cigarettes littered the air as he found a dark spot before pulling Jenna close against his body, burying his face in her neck as he did so. She smelt of peaches as took in her scent. He liked it as as he held her tighter and she giggled nervously as she felt his soft lips.

His hands started to wondered over the skin of her back before working their way down to her butt. "Kind of fresh, aren't you?" she asked as she reached behind her and moved his hands back up.

"You'd be surprised," he said with a smirk as their slow dance led them further back into the dark club where the bathrooms were located.

Jenna once again giggled nervously. "Maybe we should head back over to the bar," she suggested.

"Why?" he inquired darkly. "Isn't this what you came over to bar for?" He pulled her closer and studied her closely to see the look on her face as he pressed his growing arousal against her. He then reached out and opened the restroom door. "To have a good time with me?"

"Look, I made a mistake," she tried to reason as she tired to push him away. "So just let go now. If you don't I swear I'll scream." And as he eyes grew darker and the smile on his face grew wide, she realized she had said something wrong. She inhaled, ready to scream, but before she could Speedy's hand came up and covered her mouth. Her blue eyes grew wide with fear. She started breathing heavily, her heart pounding within her chest.

"So, I'm a mistake now, huh?" he asked as her cries went muffled against his palm as she struggled against him. "I'll show you a Goddamn fucking mistake." And with that the restroom door closed behind them and a click of the lock was heard.

OoOoO

"So are you going to come with me next week or not?" asked Bumblebee as she laid topless on her bed, her head resting on her folded arms like a pillow as Aqualad sat on her legs rubbing her back. Her wings were spread to either side so that he had full access.

"I don't think I should," he began. "That's something I think you should do alone with Dr. Wolfe."

"I just want you in the room," she confessed. "I'll feel better if you're there."

"I'll think about," he concluded as he kneaded the tight stressed points of his teammate.

"No. I want an answer. Come with me, plea- oh-oh, yeah, right there," she had stopped her playful begging long enough to point out a tender spot on her back.

"You like that?"

"Hmm. . . yes," was her breathy reply.

"Where's the lotion, Bee?" he looked around the bed for it.

"Dammit, Al, we don't need anymore lotion," Bee had said agitated. She hated the kind of massage lotion Aqualad liked to use. It smelt of coconuts and it was strong so it stuck with her all day, even after a shower. She pointed the bottle out anyway.

Aqualad groaned as he turned his torso and reached for the bottle on the night stand. The shift of his weight caused the headboard to hit the wall. "Maybe we wouldn't need so much, it you weren't so damn tight," he complained as he touch lighten up.

"Harder," she demanded of him.

"I don't want to hurt you," concern lined his voice. There were scratches on back he noticed weren't there, the last time they had done this. He was certain that they weren't from any of the battles they had been in protecting their city, but he was too much a gentlemen to ask where they had came from, especially the one that looked like a bite mark on her shoulder. He had his suspicions, of course, he was not a stupid guy, but it was not his place.

"Like you could," she said with a soft chuckle. "So just give me what I want."

"Here?" Aqualad trailed his palms to the lower part of her back and applied pressure.

"Oh, God yes. Don't you dare stop," she said as she buried her face into her arms and let out a large relaxed sigh.

Suddenly, both she and Aqualad jumped. "Bee!" It was Speedy, screaming like a madman. "Open the Goddamn door!" Bumblebee looked to Aqualad as he rose off her, but he only shrugged.

Aqualad then watched as Bumblebee found her housecoat and went over to open the door. He tried not to listen as they were more than likely arguing, so he turned on the radio to see if there was anything good on. A moment later, he heard Bumblebee say as she turned to him, "What do you think I was-" he waited for her to finish, but figured that it wasn't meant for him and continued to listen to the music on the radio as he laid on the bed.

In his opinion, those two had been acting kind strange around each other lately. They seemed more agreeable towards each other than they did before. Not saying that they didn't argue, they just weren't literally at each other's throat anymore. A kind of peace had settle over the house, and Aqualad was quite enjoying it; it's why he was complete caught off guard when he heard the words, "You fucking whore!"

He sat up at the heated words, his eyes towards the door as Bumblebee slide inside. He waited for her to speak, but she said nothing as she made her way back to the bed and face away from Aqualad and discarded her housecoat. "Bee?" he began as she laid back down.

"I don't want to talk about it," she told him.

"Bee," he said for firmly.

She sighed. "He doesn't trust me and that's all you need to know," she informed him, knowing he would probe no more.

"Fine," he said as he back in position and kneaded out the stress points that had resurface. After a few minutes, he broke the silence that lingered between them. "I guess this is a good time as any," he began. "I'm going to be gone for a few days."

"What?" Bumblebee said in surprise. "Where are you going?"

A blush came to Aqualad's cheeks. "West."

"West, you say?" she wanted to confirm and Aqualad replied that she was correct. "Do you think that's a good idea?" she asked as she motioned for him to get up so she could face him.

"Why not?" he asked as she covered herself.

"Well," she hesitated, "I know we're all Titans, but they're kind of the originals, you know? We have very big shoes to fill and it just feels like we're their lap dog, they call for one of us and we go running. I don't want it to be like that," she explained. "So what kind of mission do they need you for?" she asked.

"Um," Aqualad avoid eye contact as he rubbed the back of his head. "You see, it's not really a mission." She gave him a curious look. "It's more like some personal time."

Bumblebee blinked a few times. "Oh," her shoulders fell as she came to an conclusion. "You mean, you're going to go see _him_?"

"Yeah."

"No."

"What?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"No," she repeated. "I'm not going to allow you to fall into false hope. He's straight, Al, and there's no getting around that. So there's no reason for you to make a trip that's going to make you miserable in the end," she reasoned. She reached out for him, taking his head. "I know you don't like my words, but I'm just trying to shield your heart. I don't want to see you hurt."

"You're looking out for me, and I appreciate you for it," he made clear. "But I don't need your permission," she looked at little taken back by his words. "What I do need is your support."

She was quiet for a moment before nodding her head. "Then you have it," she said with a smile. "Always."

"I want to help you too, Bee," he told her, knowing he needed to do this. "Open up to me and tell me what's been going on between you and Speedy." Aqualad had finally decided that he needed to be less of a gentlemen in this roll. He needed to learn to stop being passive towards her, giving in to her fits, only this way could he help her heal.

Looking almost betrayed, she stated. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Bee, he just stood outside your door and called you a whore. . . and you took it," he told her. "Two months ago you would have beaten him down to a bloody pulp on the floor."

"I think-" she thought over her words. "I think he's falling in love with me," she spoke softly, looking down to her fingers that were fidgeting.

"And what's wrong with that?" he asked her.

"I don't want him too," she looked back up into his black eyes. "Not yet, anyway. You were right before, I'm not a stable person. To be with someone, to fully embrace someone, I need to be whole, Al, and I'm nowhere near it yet."

"Are you trying to tell me that you love him, Bee?" he asked gently.

There was a long silence, so long, that Aqualad didn't know if she would answer him. "I don't know," she finally spoke. "I just don't want to hurt him more than I already have." A tear slid done her face. "I don't know what to do," she sounded like she had already given up. "Please, what do I do?"

Aqualad reached out and cup her face in his hand, sweeping away her her tear with his thumb. "You become whole." He then guided her into his arms and she held him tightly. She then closed her eyes and let the song from the radio drift into her ears.

He knows you don't love him,  
And yet he still returns,  
It's the light in your eyes, though dark and dim.

All he ever wanted, was to be within your heart,  
But you stomped his to pieces,  
Nearly tore him apart.

But from the shambles, he rose,  
Never giving up the fight,  
He can win your sweet heart, he knows.

He wants to prove to you his worth,  
Show you the man he can be,  
Show you he's strong enough be your Earth.

You tear him down with your words,  
But then turn around and give him praise,  
And he finds his soul among the birds.

And so for thou,  
He would swim the deepest ocean and soar the highest sky,  
Even if he didn't know how.

Because there are times when you are tender,   
He can swear your joy sincere,  
And for those precious moments, he knows you hold him dear.

For he knows why the caged bird sings,  
It's because a dear love gave him wings.

But why would you care,  
How could you dare. . .

Know about a mad boy's love song,  
_This mad boy's love song?_

To Be Continued. . .


	10. Pollo Frito

**A/N:** Man, I'm hungry. I got to go get me some dinner.

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Posted: February 12, 2006

**Chapter Ten:** Pollo Frito

It was after noon as Aqualad yawned and stretched in a foreign bed. He smiled at he turned to the boy next to him and rested on his side, but his smile soon faded as he reached out and stroked the sleeping boy's face. He was nothing more than a dirty, rotten hypocrite, and he knew it, because the boy next to him, was just that – _a boy_. He had tired putting onto Bumblebee, what he feared about himself, knowing how sensitive she was about the subject. And though she had eventually forgiven him, it was still out there, floating in the air around them.

"Beastboy?" Aqualad whispered gently. He loved this sweet fifteen year old boy, who was his junior by four years, he did. He was the reason Aqualad had willingly lied to his best friend. She was under the impression that he was in love with Cyborg and though she never said it out loud, he knew she couldn't stand him. It was apparent whenever she they spoke about him, how she always fought with everything she had to convince him that Cyborg wasn't the one for him. He had never bothered to correct her about Cyborg. He was too afraid to tell her about his relationship with the young changeling, because he knew, that once she knew, she would never look at him the same away again. But he didn't want to think about that right now, he just wanted to enjoy his small time away from home. "Beastboy," he called again.

Beastboy sighed contently as he opened his big green eyes and placed his hand on top of Aqualad's, which still resided on his cheek. "Good morning," he greeted him softly.

"A very good morning," Aqualad responded making the changeling grin widely before Aqualad leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"I- I'm sorry about last night," Beastboy told him timidly.

"I told you then," Aqualad began. "I wasn't expecting anything. I know you're not ready and that's okay, believe me. Besides, you know I'll wait as long as you need me too," he reassured him. The two had rented a hotel room, the night before, on the far outstretches of Jump City. Beastboy had been nervous and bumbling throughout the whole trip.

It was the first time they had seen each other since their last encounter when Beastboy had accidentally let slip how he felt for the Atlantian, but his words had came out wrong. The way he has said it, made it sound as if were gay, and that was last thing he wanted to do. Beastboy's entire face had gone red as he tired to cover up his slip of the tongue, when Aqualad took him by surprise and lent him his own.

Beastboy's eyes had grown wide and his whole body had tensed up. He _knew_ he wasn't gay, he _knew_ he liked girls, but still he couldn't find it in himself to pull away and so as the kiss continued the more Beastboy started to question himself, until finally his eyes closed and his body relaxed and he threw his arms around Aqualad, who in returned held him even closer.

"I know, it's just I didn't want you to feel as if you came all the way out here for nothing," Beastboy told him.

Aqualad chuckled lightly at the statement. "Since when have you been the negative one?" he asked. "Besides, you know that just being with you makes me happy," he told him before rolling over and picking his shirt off the floor. "Come on, let's go find something to eat," he suggested.

Aqualad then felt Beastboy take a hold of him, before feeling the other's lips against the back of his neck. "You make me happy too," he whispered before going back to trail kisses along Aqualad neck and shoulder.

Aqualad closed his eyes, willing his mind not to forget these moments. "Well, I guess we could always hold off on brunch," he said jokingly as he turned back around to face the other.

Beastboy lovingly ran his fingers through Aqualad's long, soft black hair. "I don't want to leave his room," he began. "Until you've made me your lover."

Aqualad sighed as he shook his head. "Beast-"

"Please," he begged, looking back and forth between his eyes. He was serious. "Please," he begged again, closing the distance between them. "I'll be anything you want me to be. I'll do anything you ask of me." He lightly kissed his forehead, his nose, and his lips. "Anything."

His words made the dark eyed boy frown. "Tell me, Beastboy. . . do you still think of Terra?" he asked.

Beastboy blinked a few times in confusion at the unexpected question. "The Terra I knew, is only a memory in my past," he explained. "I've accepted that."

"But the Terra you know, still walks the streets of Jump City everyday."

"Her name isn't Terra. I don't know who she is," he stated sadly.

"Do you still love her?" Aqualad asked.

"_I_ love _you_," Beastboy responded.

Aqualad shook his head. "That wasn't the question."

"Dude," Beastboy sat up, "what's with the third degree?" he wondered. "What does Terra have to do with anything?"

Aqualad reached up for Beastboy and pulled him back down. "Nothing," he finally told him. "Nothing at all," he repeated as he pushed Beastboy onto his back before climbing on top of him. "I'm sorry for bring it up." He settled himself in between the younger one's legs. "I didn't mean for you to get upset. I'll make it up to you, alright?" Beastboy nodded with the question.

Just then they heard a beeping sound come from somewhere on the floor. Beastboy groaned. "Let's pretend we don't hear it," he suggested.

"It could be an emergency," Aqualad said pulling away. "Is that mine or yours?" he wondered out loud as he search for the communicator going off.

"It's yours," Beastboy said simply, placing his hands behind his head as he watched Aqualad.

Aqualad finally found his communicator under some clothes. Before opening it he looked to Beastboy and brought his index fingers to his lips. Beastboy nodded. "Hello?"

"Aqualad, tenemos un problema," Mas told him while Menos stood over his shoulder, each still in their pajamas. "Usted necesita volver a casa. La policía tomó Speedy lejos. Bee nos dijo llamarle mientras ella fue a obtener un abogado."

"What!" Aqualad yelled in disbelief. "What the hell did he do?"

Mas y Menos spoke at the same time, "Nosotros no sabemos."

"Alright," he nodded his head before closing the communicator and turning to Beastboy. The changeling didn't know a lick of Spanish, but he knew bad news when he heard it. "I'm sorry," was all Aqualad could manage to say.

OoOoO

Speedy's head was pounding as he woke up on the floor in the common area of the Tower. He opened up his mask covered eyes to find the twins standing over him, Mas with a staff in his hands as he tried to hide the pole, which was twice his height, behind his back.

"Usted huele," Menos spoke as he pinched his nose and waved his hand around.

"What do you want?" he asked with a yawn as he sat up and scratched his head.

"Tenemos hambre," they told him.

"What? Hambre?" he said a bit disoriented as he was every time he woke up. "What time is it?" He looked at the clock on the wall. "Eight?" he spoke loudly, causing his head to pulse. "Oh, hell no," he grabbed a cushion off the couch and settled back on the floor. "There's cereal in the pantry," he told them, his eyes already closed. "You _know_ I don't do breakfast."

"Nosotros no queremos cereal," Speedy couldn't tell who was speaking as he tired to go back to sleep.

"Quiero pollo frito," spoke the other.

"Hmmm, pollo," one drooled over the thought. "Sí, quiero pollo también."

"Pollo?" Speedy's brow creased as he tired to remember what the word meant. "Pollo, pollo. Chicken?" He opened his eyes again. "No, no chicken. _Cereal_," he stressed.

"Speedy," he heard his voice being called softly from behind him. He turned around to see Bumblebee.

He looked up at her and said, trying not to sound hurt, "What do you want?"

"Can I please see you out in the hall," she asked of him, eerily tensed.

"I'm busy," he stood up. "The boys are hungry and they want chicken-"

"Pollo frito," Menos piped up.

"Fried chicken," Speedy corrected himself.

"Con papas fritas," Mas added.

"With French fries," Speedy continued.

"Y un pastel de manzana!" Menos yelled excitedly.

"And a apple pi-" Speedy then turned to them. "Yeah right, keep dreaming," he told them.

"The boys can have cereal," Bumblebee told him and Mas y Menos' shoulders dropped in disappointment. "Now follow me." She then turned around and walked out of the common area.

Speedy rolled his eyes, the nerve she had to be ordering him around after the way she had treated him last night. "Now again, what do you want?" he asked when they reached the hallway.

Bumblebee placed her hand over her mouth and nose. "My God," she whispered. "You reek of cigarettes and booze," she told him angrily. "What the hell did you do last night?"

"That ain't none of your business," he told her rudely.

"Go take a shower and hurry up," she told him ignoring his rudeness as she turned around. "I'll stall them."

"Stall who?" he asked curiously.

"Officer Candace March is here. . . to arrest you. Now please go take a shower."

"What?" Speedy took a step towards her. "For what?"

"Don't play stupid. Candace already told me what you are being charged with."

"Well, you could fill me in," he told her growing hysterical. "That would very nice."

Bumblebee crossed her arms over her chest looking at Speedy disappointingly. "How pissed did you get last night?"

"Well, after finding you were screwing Aqualad - pretty damn _pissed_. In fact," he lowered his head and ran his fingers through his hair, "most of the night is a blur."

"I told you before that it wasn't what it looked-" Bumblebee stopped, she didn't have time to explain this to him. "Just do what I told you and then meet me at the front entrance. Don't resist, you're already in enough trouble." She began to walk away again.

"Come on, Bee, what am I trouble for, underage drinking? After all I've done for this city, I won't get more than a slap on the wrist," Speedy told her confidently. "They didn't have to come all way to the Tower for that. I mean, what did I do, run around the city in my birthday suit?"

"I wish it was that simple, Speedy," she told him with her back still to him, holding herself.

"Then what?" he was growing impatient. "What am I being charged with?"

Bumblebee finally turned around, took a deep breath and said, "Statutory rape."

Then, for the second time that day, Speedy blinked in confusion. "Excuse me? Come again."

"Just do what I told you, Speedy," she told him forcibly before walking away. He stood there a moment, hoping she would turn around and tell him she was just playing, but as she disappeared around the corner, he she was being real with him.

Speedy going to his room, taking a shower, and coming back down, all went by in a daze. His mind refused to absorb what he had just been told and before long, he found himself walking towards the front entrance; it was the longest walk in his life as he saw Bumblebee standing with several officers waiting for him. "There's no reason to handcuff him, right?" Bumblebee asked Candace.

Before Candace could answer Mas y Menos stood with them, big smile on their faces as they looked at everyone. "¿Damos una fiesta nosotros?" Menos asked.

"Espero hay pollo, porque yo no comeré cereal frío," Mas declared, crossing his arms over his chest, as if the decision was final.

"No, there's no party," Bumblebee addressed them. She honestly didn't want them to see this. They were only twelve years old and though they fought crime on a daily basis, she didn't want them to witness a fellow teammate being escorted away by the police. But they were already here and she couldn't lie to them now. "Speedy may have done something wrong," she tired to explain. "And Officer March just wants to question him down at the station."

The smiles fell from their faces. "El es detenido," Menos said plainly. Bumblebee nodded her head.

"¿Para qué?" they both asked.

Bumblebee shook her head. "Don't worry about that," she told them before making her way over to Speedy. Then, to the archer's amazement, she threw her arms around him before kissing him gently. Now Speedy knew he was losing it. Public display of affection was not Bumblebee's style. Speedy inwardly laughed, _private_ displays of affection were barely her style. "Don't say anything," she began whispering in his ear. "Not until, I contact Miller," who was the Titan's lawyer, "and Aqualad."

Speedy pulled away abruptly. "A lawyer?" He looked at her angrily. "I don't need Miller. All I have to do is tell the truth," he whispered back.

"You don't remember the truth. And what you don't remember could hang you! So keep quiet," she ordered.

"Bumblebee," Officer Candace spoke. "I'm sorry, but it's time for him to come with us."

"I understand," she told her before Speedy pulled her back to him and capture her mouth with his own.

"I may not remember, but I know I didn't do it. . . I love you too much." He then felt an officer take a hold of him before escorting him away. Once on the police boat, that would take them to the main land of the city, Speedy turned around to find Bumblebee still standing at the open entrance door with Mas y Menos, each on one side clinging to her legs.

When the boat was long out of site, Bumblebee looked down to Mas y Menos. "I'm going to go get Miller. I need you guys to call Aqualad for me and tell him what happened. I want him home and if you have to, tell him it's an order." She had them pull away as she stretched her wings and lifted herself from the ground. "Understood?" she asked of them.

"Sí," they confirmed.

"Good. Make sure you set the alarms when I'm gone." With their last instruction given to them Bumblebee took off towards the city at top speed.

To Be Continued. . .


	11. Guilty Until Proven Innocent

**A/N:** -_Screams at the top of her lungs in pure joy_- Do you know how I struggled to get this chapter out? I had no idea what I was doing and I do mean _none_. So I'm going to have to thank AshCarroll aka ShadowDiva, for a conversation we had. . . oh, last year. I bet she doesn't even remember. . . because I sure didn't, until I had this dream last night, but I'm sure none of you care about that so here's the chapter. Enjoy or Die!

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Posted: May 20, 2006 

**Chapter Eleven: **Guilty Until Proven Innocent**  
**

"I didn't rape that girl!" Speedy protested his innocence angrily to Miller, his unconvinced lawyer, as he watched the door close behind him. "At least," he whispered to himself as he sighed. "I don't think I did." He then groaned as his head hit the table in the small private room within the police station. It had been two days and he had desperately tried to clear his mine so that he could remember that night, but something was wrong, something seemed to be blocking it all together. What he could remember was walking into the bar, sitting down, and drinking, what he now knows, was _way_ too much.

Speedy hated trying to remember, because every time he did, he had to relive why he was there in the first place. Why couldn't he have forgotten that, he wondered. Why did he have to remember how low and how used he felt by her? Speedy rose his head back up as he noticed that his hand was trembling, but it was not out of fear or frustration. He knew what this was and it was the least of his worries. . . at least for now it was. So he squeezed his hand in a poor attempt to make it stop, but he couldn't control it and it continued to shake.

He was in so much trouble, in so many ways as he found out the girl in the bar was only sixteen years old. "What the hell have I gotten myself into," he thought out as the door buzzed and an officer stepped through.

Speedy stood, thinking he was coming to lead him back to his cell, but the officer shook his head and gestured for him to sit back down. "You have another visitor," he informed the prisoner. Speedy made a face as he wondered who it was, in the pass two days only Miller had come to see him.

He then softly smiled as he saw Bumblebee behind the officer, but as quickly as he saw her she disappeared from his sight. "I want another room," he heard her tell the officer.

The officer slightly closed the door, his hand still on the knob. "I checked the books," he began. "You had no problems with this room the last time you came to visit a prisoner. Speedy blinked in surprised, wondering what reason Bumblebee would have to visit a prisoner. . . other than him, of course.

"It doesn't matter about the last time I visited. Just find me another room," she demanded.

"Sorry, can't. The others are occupied," he explained. "So you either visit him now or you can come back tomorrow," he was getting rather snippy with her.

There was a moment of silence before Speedy heard her voice again. "Fine," she replied. "Now get out the way." Bumblebee than pushed opened the door and stepped into the room, but the first thing she did, did not involve looking at Speedy. Instead, she eyed the room warily before wrapping her arms around herself as if she were cold. Then slowly she sat down in front of her teammate. She gave him a small smile as she spoke. "Hey, how they treating you in here?" she asked.

Speedy crossed his fingers as he rested them on his lap. Bumblebee watched as he nodded his head. "Quite well, I suppose, considering the circumstances," he replied with a shrug.

"You don't look too good, Speedy," she told him and for most part it was true. His skin looked pale and he looked tired as he leaned on the table.

"It's nothing," he told her. "It's just they wake you up so early in this place," he said with a smile. "And you know how I need my beauty sleep," he told her, feeling the strong need to straighten out his hair and so he did. Bumblebee looked at him in aw as she finally realized that playing with his hair was a nervous reaction, that he probably couldn't help.

She then cocked an eyebrow as she noticed his shaking hand. "Speedy, it's going to be alright," she told him words of comfort as she did something out of character, she reached out and took his hand. She then gasped in surprised as Speedy snatched it away from her.

"Don't," he whispered. They then stared into each other's eyes for a moment.

_Funny, when did our rolls reverse?_ Bumblebee couldn't help but wonder. "What is it that you're not telling me," she asked of him. Speedy lowered his head. "And don't tell me, it's nothing," she warned. "I can tell there's something more than a lack of sleep going on."

The redheaded archer couldn't look at her. "Do you trust me?" he asked her, but she didn't answer. "I need you to do something for me."

Bumblebee blinked rapidly. "Need me?" she said to herself. "What do you need of me?" she asked as an automatic response, done without thinking.

"What I'm about to ask of you," he began. "_I trust no one else to handle this but you_. . ."

Suddenly, Bumblebee was no longer sitting across from Speedy, but standing in front of Brother Blood as a fourteen year old girl attending the H.I.V.E Academy as she was having an actual private study session with him. "Straighten up, Bumblebee!" Brother Blood ordered as he walked in a circle around her. They stood in a large room on one of the lower levels of the school, where training usually took place. "Alpha position!" he barked.

"Yes, Headmaster!" Bumblebee replied back. She then put her right leg in front of her and had it bent at the knee. The other leg was behind her angled with the floor, but stayed straight. Both of her hands held a gift she had received from her instructor. Bee Stingers is what he called them. The one in her right hand was placed parallel with her bent leg, while the other was raised high behind her.

"Wrong!" Brother Blood yelled. When it came to teaching combat skills he liked to carry a long and heavy stick, that almost looked like a cane. He whacked Bumblebee's right wrist with it. "Palm up," he corrected. His young student made a slight face of pain, but pushed it aside as she turned her hand. "Good," he nodded approvingly as he took a step back. "Now, sequence four."

Bumblebee gasped as she turned her head. "But Headmaster-" she protested.

"Sequence four!" he bellowed, not wanting to hear her whining. Bumblebee frowned as she got back into Alpha position. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she began the sequence. She put the majority of her weight on her right foot as she swept the other gracefully across the smooth floor. Her left Bee Stinger was lowered as both began to charge up. "Slow and steady," she heard Brother Blood say off to the side. The rest of her movements were calculated and precise, as came with practice. A smirk came to her face, as she knew Brother Blood would be impressed, but as she went to finish the sequence, she suddenly heard, "Bumblebee, stop!"

But his warning came to late as Bumblebee brought her Bee Stingers together. Their energy tangling with each other causing them to force each other apart. There was a large discharge and an explosion. Bumblebee screamed as she went flying back. Brother Blood dropped his cane and lunged towards Bumblebee, who was soaring towards the back wall at a dangerous speed. He caught her at the last possible moment, causing him to slam into the wall instead of her. "Stupid, girl," he whispered as he breathed heavily. Bumblebee said nothing, bring her hands close to her chest. Brother Blood sighed. "How many times have I told you that a constant and _equal_ flow is needed from both Stingers before you are able to finish the sequence, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Headmaster," she finally spoke softly. "I thought I had it," she tried to explain. "You trusted me with the use of the Stingers and I have failed to produce any positive results from them."

"Show me your hands," he instructed her as she had them balled up into little fist. He took them into his hold as she slowly loosened them. Brother Blood smiled in relief as he saw they had not been brunt as he had feared when the explosion occurred, but they were a little scratched up along with parts of her face. "There, there, my little Honeybee," he soothed, as he guided her head against his chest. "It's only been a few weeks, you have plenty of time to master your Stingers." He stroked her face gently. "On the other hand, your sequence was perfect. I'm proud of you."

She beamed. "Thank you, Headmaster," she responded sweetly. She then stood up, pumping her fist to get more feeling back into them before shaking them out. "Maybe now, you'll let me perform it at full speed." She was determined to move on to the fifth and last sequence. She had finals coming up and wanted nothing more to be at the top of her class as she always was.

Brother Blood picked himself off the floor as he inspected the damage to the room. It was nothing that a day's work wouldn't be able to patch up. "No, let's call it a day," he told her as he headed towards the door. "Come to my quarters and I'll see to your wounds."

"Ow," Bumblebee cried softly as she bent down to pick up her Stingers. They were a little warm to the touch. "I'll be fine," she began. "I have a class in thirty I should be preparing for anyway," she informed him.

Brother Blood stood with the door opened. "It wasn't a suggestion," he told her, all sources of warmth gone from his voice.

"Yes, sir." She passed him quickly as she made her way down the hall and he followed her to his quarters.

Within his room, Bumblebee sat on his bed. Her legs were crossed at her ankles and her hands rested on her lap. "Head up," was her instruction and so she obeyed. Brother Blood stood over her as he applied medication to her face. "How are you from last night?" he asked casually.

Bumblebee frowned. "Sore," she answered softly as he straighten himself and put the medication down on the nightstand.

"Well then," he began as he started to take off his robes. "Let's see then."

The young girl looked to her Headmaster. "But, sir-" she was cut off.

"What have I told you to call me when we were in my quarters?" he asked as he continued to undress.

"But, daddy," she felt odd calling him that. "It's the middle of the day. I have classes and I don't want to fall behind, besides. . ." she trailed off not really knowing how to voice what she wanted to say. The night before had been her first time with Blood and it hurt more than she thought it would.

When she woke up that day, it continued to hurt as she skimmed her fingers over her thighs that morning when she went to take a shower. She had bruises in the shape of fingers. She didn't like them there. She didn't want them there. She just wanted to stop hurting, but as she looked at the expecting Brother Blood, she said nothing and so stood up as she begin to take off her own clothes.

He watched with a smile as she did so. "Good girl," he cooed before easing her back on to the bed where he placed himself on top of her.

Bumblebee shut her eyes tightly and held on to him as she waited to feel the sharp pain that would once again attack her small body. She tried to block out the the sounds of her protecting mind as it screamed at her, _No. No! NO!_

But it didn't help as it was accompanied by the voice of the man on top of her. "Honeybee. . . Honeybee. . ."

"NO!" Bumblebee yelled out, now able to hear the sound of her own voice. "No!" she cried.

"Bee!" she heard her name yelled. "Bee, what's wrong?" But it was wasn't Brother Blood's voice, which only frightened her more as she felt someone take a hold of her.

"No!" she screamed as she fought against the person. "No!"

"Bee, stop! Bee, it's me!" the voice tried to get through to her. "It's me – Speedy. Just- just stop!"

At the sound of the name, the young Titan opened her eyes to find she was back in the small room within the prison. She stopped screaming as she breathed heavily, her eyes frantically searched around the room as tears came to her eyes. She then noticed that she was no longer sitting at the table, but on the floor in the corner of the room.

Suddenly, there came the buzz of the door opening and several officers came through it. "Hands up!" one demanded as they pointed their weapons.

Speedy turned to them, but didn't get up from his position in front of Bumblebee. "I didn't do anything!" he yelled back. "She just started freaking out!"

"Out of my way!" Speedy heard a strong voice behind the officers and they parted for him. Aqualad then entered into the room. He looked with concern over at Bumblebee, who seemed to be completely out of it. "What did you say to her?" he asked angrily of Speedy as he made his way over.

"Nothing," he told him, but his words went in one ear and out the other as Aqualad pushed him out the way to get to his friend.

"Bee?" he spoke softly as he reached out and took her face. Her eyes looked clouded over as tears ran down her cheeks. "Bee?"

She then slowly started to shake her head. "I'm not strong," her words were barely audible as she slowly began to cling onto Aqualad. "I'll never be whole. I'll never be whole," she repeated to herself over and over.

"It's alright," Aqualad reassured her as he picked her up off the floor and stood. "I'm here. It's okay now." He then looked to the officers. "You never saw this," he warned them sternly. "Mas! Menos!" he yelled out and the two appeared before him a moment later. They looked confused as the situation before them.

"Mas, think you're up for a little running?" he asked of the recovering Titan.

"Si," he confirmed.

"Good, I need you two to go to the Tower and prepare the Med lab for Bee, alright?" The two saluted him before taking each other's hand and going to complete the task given to them. Aqualad, who was anything but pleased, then turned his sights on Speedy. His expression of disgust towards the redhead said all as Aqualad shifted Bumblebee in his hold. He then started towards the door, the officers once again parted for him and then he was gone.

Speedy said nothing as he was slammed up against the wall as an officer forced his hands behind him to put on handcuffs. "Attacking your own teammate?" he asked. "I can't believe I once considered you a hero."

Speedy kept his head down as the officer guided down the hall among the other prisoners. "My, my, my," Speedy heard an all too familiar voice. He turned his head, but was not surprise as he saw none other than Brother Blood. "How the mighty have fallen," he snickered.

To Be Continued. . .

* * *

** A/N: **For real, I got this now. :Insert Evil Laughter Here: 


	12. Between Devils and Heroes

Posted: August 27, 2006

**Chapter Twelve**: Between Devils and Heroes

Bumblebee tossed and turned in her bed as the rain crashed against the pane of her window. Lightening crashed and thundered roared, but it was not what kept her up so late into the night. She had broken down in front of so many people. They had seen through the many layers that she had so desperately been trying to hide. She knew that Aqualad had told them not to tell a soul, but she couldn't help but to wonder how the officers would look upon her the next time she had to visit the jail. Would they still see her as the strong and capable leader of the of the Titans East? Would that respect still reside in their eyes or would they look upon her like a broken little girl, who had no right to lead her team?

Bumblebee sighed heavily as she stared up at the ceiling before she heard a knock on her bedroom door. She sat up, yawning a bit as she wondered what time it was. She then rose out of her bed and made her way over to the door and opened it. "Mas?" she looked down at the blue eyed boy dressed in footie pajamas. "It's late. What's wrong?" she asked him.

Mas' eyes were wide as he searched Bumblebee's. "Tuve el sueño otra vez," he told her quietly.

"Oh, no." Bumblebee lowered herself to one knee as she took a hold of Mas and brought him into her arms. "I know the nightmares are frightening, but he can't hurt you or Menos anymore," she reassured him.

"¿Por qué nos dio ella al diablo?" Mas asked her. "¿Por qué no nos quiso ella?"

"No, no don't think like that," Bumblebee urged him as she heard him beginning to cry. "I'm sure she didn't want to give you away. It had to have been hard for her knowing she couldn't take care of the two of you," she told him as he held on tighter.

"Eramos suponemos ser sus hijos. . . ¡No su proyecto!" Mas declared angrily. "Yo no quiero ser un experimento no más."

Bumblebee pulled away before placing her hands on either side of his face. "You are _not_ an experiment!" she made clear as she shook him a little. "You are Mas of the Teen Titans and along with your brother you are the fastest thing I've ever seen." She then smile softly. "You are my bright shooting star and as long as I'm here you never have to go back to that mad man who called himself a doctor, okay?"

Mas, at first, only looked at her as she wiped away his tears. "Okay." He gave her a small smile.

"Are you okay now? Do you want me to walk you back to your room?" she asked him.

Mas lowered his head. "¿Podría permanecer yo aquí esta noche en lugar?" he asked, wanting her near, images of his last nightmare still running through his head.

Bumblebee nodded her head as she took Mas' hand and stood. "Of course," she told him as she led him into the room. She tucked him in on the other side of her full size bed before climbing back in herself. Within in a few minutes she could hear Mas softly snoring as he slept.

Bumblebee had almost found sleep herself when again she heard a knock at her door. She got up to answer it and found Menos carrying a teddy bear, which was almost as big as he was. She watched as he gave a small shriek and shudder violently as the lightening and thunder made their presence known. She shook head as she smiled at the boy. "Get on in there," she told him as she stepped out of the way and he happily ran into the room and jumped into her bed, startling Mas as he did so.

Soon the three were settled into the bed, Bumblebee resting between the twins as each held onto her tightly before falling back to sleep. Bumblebee then pushed Menos' blonde hair from his face and kissed his forehead before pushing Mas' brown hair out of the way and doing the same. She smiled sadly as she regarded the two boys in her care.

Their mother had been very young when she became aware that she was pregnant. It would have been difficult for her to raise a child on her own, let alone two, but that did not stop her from trying. She loved her boys, but she couldn't take care of them, so she had to do what she thought was best for them. She had found a doctor and his wife who were looking to adopt. They seemed like nice enough people and so, with a help of an agency, they made the adoption final.

Mas y Menos, who real names were Raul and Dominic, were six at the time. They didn't understand why their mother didn't want them anymore and why they had to live with a stranger. Mas, who was the closest to their mother, had taken it the hardest, blaming himself for her not wanting them anymore, apologizing over and over as they had to practically rip him off of her when it came time to permanently live with the doctor.

Once the doctor had them in their home his kind facade faded. And as the years went on he treated the boys less and less like his sons or even members of his family, but more and more like his science project. The doctor at one point had them locked in his basement, where Bumblebee would never know exactly what he did too them. Mas still had horrible nightmares of that time, while Menos kept it in and pretended it never happened. He didn't even speak to Mas about it. Menos figured that they were happy now and that was all that mattered.

Bumblebee had discovered the pair when she was still under the hand of Brother Blood. She had been out, tutoring a group of first year students, with an assignment that pretty much consisted of breaking and entering. The doctor's home had been their last stop for that night.

The basement was dark and dingy and there was the all too familiar scent of blood in the air. Bumblebee was horrified to find the two little boys locked in separate cages and on opposite sides of the room. She shrunk down to her smallest size and worked on each lock until they popped opened. The boys were frightened by the stranger, it had been so long since they had seen anyone but the doctor, so Bumblebee gently tried to coach them out.

Mas was the first to start to leave his cage as he took Bumblebee's outreached hand. Menos then started yelling at him angrily. Bumblebee didn't understand a word he was saying, but it caused Mas to let her go and retreat back into his own cage.

It was then that Bumblebee realized that the other was the dominate twin and if she was going to help them, that he was the one that had to make the first step out. So she went to the other cage and told the boy within it that everything was going to be okay. That she was going to help him. It took a lot of time to gain Menos' trust, but when she had it, he held on to her as if it were the first time anyone had shown him comfort. Following his brother's lead, Mas left his cage and traveled to the other side of the room. He stood by them quietly as he watched Bumblebee hold Menos before she noticed him as well and pulled them into their hug.

It was back at the H.I.V.E. that they discovered the results of the doctors experiment on the twins. Within the school, their speed was matched by none and so they became students at the very elite school.

At first, Mas y Menos had a hard time adjusting to the other people around them, that is all but Bumblebee, who was their own personal hero for saving them and who had taken up Spanish so she could understand them. But once they had adjusted, they were bright and happy children, although Mas had a tendency of staying close to Bumblebee whenever he could.

After Brother Blood's underwater school was taken out of commission, Bumblebee and Aqualad were assigned to follow Brother Blood East. The students of the H.I.V.E. had scattered, but Bumblebee knew the twins had nowhere to go and she would not leave without them, telling Aqualad that they needed her. Aqualad asked if they could be trusted since they were students under Brother Blood. This offended Bumblebee since she had been one as well.

So the twins traveled east with them, but something still felt missing. It was then that Aqualad suggested a fifth member to complete their team and recommended Speedy. Together, the five of them were more than a team, they were family. . . a very dysfunctional family.

OoOoO

"_Look, I made a mistake." Jenna's hands were on Speedy's chest as she struggled against him, but he was stronger than he looked as she was pushed into the bathroom of the dark club. "So just let go now. If you don't, I swear, I'll scream," she tried to threaten the archer, but complete and utter dread ran her blood cold as she saw a smile grace his lips that practically reached from ear to ear. _

_Jenna then went to scream, but before anything could escape her lungs a large hand covered her mouth. "So, I'm a mistake now, huh?" Speedy's words where cold and inhuman. Jenna began to scream regardless of where his hand was, but it could not be heard in such a crowed place. "I'll show you a Goddamn fucking mistake," were Speedy's angry words as he closed the door behind them._

"The rape charges have been dropped," Miller, the Titan's lawyer, informed Speedy with a less than sincere smile.

Speedy, interrupted from his thoughts, looked up at the lawyer. "They have?" he asked in disbelief as he just couldn't get around the fact that Jenna was no longer pressing charges. Speedy shook his head not really understanding, but he felt such a burden lift from his shoulders. "So I can go home now?" He stood, ready to return back to his normal life.

Miller frowned as he indicated to Speedy that he should sit back down. He shook his head. "It's not that simple," he began. "Though the rape charge has been dropped, you are still facing assault and battery."

"What? No!" Speedy's frustration caught up with him. "Those charges are just as ridiculous! I have _never_ laid my hands on a innocent woman! I've never-" Speedy stopped, his hand coming up to his forehead as a dizzy spell took over him and he reclaimed his seat.

"Are you alright?" Miller asked as he client suddenly looked very weak.

Speedy breathed heavily as he closed his eyes tightly, willing his double vision to stop before it grew into another painful headache.

"Roy?" Miller called out his real name as he stood. "You don't look too good. Maybe I should get some help."

"No, no." Speedy finally lowered his hand, opened his eyes, and straightened up in his seat. Miller could tell that Speedy was going to tell him that he was fine, but for some reason Speedy hesitated and what came out of his mouth was a soft whispered that sounded a lot like, "Oh my God."

_He had let go of her, for just a moment, so that he could lock the bathroom door. With only one hand on her, Jenna took that as her chance to break free of him. "Help!" she yelled as she tried to push pass Speedy to get to the door. "Let me-" She didn't have time to finish her statement as Speedy had roughly grabbed her long brown hair and practically slammed her up against the tile covered walls of the small bathroom._

"Roy?" Miller spoke again. "What is it?" he asked carefully as he sat back down.

Speedy's eyes shot towards Miller and he looked at the other man like he had been a deer caught in headlights. He stared at him for a moment before frantically shaking his head. "Nothing," he told him, his voice a bit strained.

"_Don't run from me," Speedy whispered harshly into Jenna's ear as he pinned her between himself and the wall. While she was still dazed from the blow to her head, Speedy took both of her arms and place them behind her back before taking both of her wrists with one hand. His other hand than took its place over her mouth. "I've never been one to chase what I want," he confessed. "And I don't plan on starting now." Speedy then leaned in, closing his eyes as he took in the scent of her hair. He frowned as all he could smell was the trace of cigarettes that littered the night club's air._

"_Scream and I'll make sure you regret it, got it?" Speedy warned her as tears mixed with blood ran down Jenna's face_. _She slightly nodded her head to tell him that she understood. It was then followed by Speedy slowly releasing her mouth. His left hand then found the curve of her thigh. _

"_Please," she begged him. "Please stop."_

"_Shut up," he told her in a whisper, not really paying attention to what she was saying as his hand leisurely etched it way up her red dress. "Ahhh!" Speedy suddenly yelled when the spike of one of her two inch heels dug itself into one of his shins. _

_Speedy stumbled back at the intense pain that course throughout his leg as Jenna once again shot towards the door in another attempt to escape. She had gotten the bathroom door opened a good four inches become it was once again slammed shut. Jenna screamed at the sudden sound of it before she was roughly grabbed by the arm. "Don't run!" Speedy yelled before Jenna balled her hand into a fist and socked Speedy in the stomach. His immediate reflex was throwing her to the floor where she landed with a crack as the heel of her shoe broke._

"_Stop!" Jenna yelled as Speedy, with his hand on his stomach, leered down at her before his hand shot towards her throat causing Jenna's hands to immediately try to loosen it._

_Her efforts were useless as Speedy shoved her down onto the floor and he took a sit on top of her. "I don't like being hit!" he yelled at her as his fingers tighten around her neck with each word. "I've only ever made one exception," he began. "And you aren't her!" His facial expression then slowly softened at the admission. "You aren't her," he said softly, his chin slowly falling to his chest as tears ran a track down his face. "You aren't Bee," he repeated to himself as the grip he had on Jenna finally loosen and he got off of her. _

_Jenna coughed violently as air reentered her lungs and she sat up. She wasted no time as she scrambled off the floor and made a mad dash towards the exist. Speedy was left alone in the corner of the bathroom with his legs drawn in and his head resting on his knees as he found he could do nothing but sit there and cry._

Speedy stared down at the table as the rest of the night finished playing in his head. "You know what, Miller?" he began. "You're right, I'm not feeling well, so is there anything else?" Speedy asked.

"Yes, there are a few things," Miller told him. "The judge has finally set a bail price for you. So you can go home by the end of the day if you can pay for it."

"Money is not an issue," Speedy told him as he thought of his mentor and the phone call he would have to make. He was not looking forward to it.

"Good, because there is also a fine you have to pay because you were drinking underage. Also you've been put on probation. You'll be given the name of your probation officer, where you check in with them, and how often you have to check in after you pay your bail," Miller informed him. "And in case you wanted to know, the club you were at is being investigated. It seems this isn't the first time something has occurred there that involved a minor."

"I remember what happened," Speedy told the lawyer. "Though some of it is still hazy. I didn't rape her," he made clear, tired of seeing doubt in the other man's eyes. "So why did she tell them I did?" Speedy asked. Miller shook his head, but regardless open his mouth to speak. "No," Speedy said quickly. "Don't answer that," he asked of the other man as some of the hazy pictures in his mind became clear and he remembered the look on Jenna's face, which read of nothing but fear.

Her claim was her revenge against him because even though the charges were dropped, it would be something that hung over his head as long as he lived. So the doubt he saw in Miller's eyes, Speedy knew he was bound to see again and with the way he had behavior he wasn't sure if he didn't deserve it.

To Be Continued. . .

* * *

**A/N**: This isn't where I wanted to end this chapter, but it was starting to run a little long for me. So the second half of this chapter will be the next one. I think I'm going to call it **When Heroes Fall**, expect some Aqualad. 

Hmm, I'm thinking 15 chapters for this story at the most, but don't be surprised if it ends at 14. :-D


	13. When Heroes Fall

Posted: November 30, 2006

**Chapter Thirteen: **When Heroes Fall

The wind blew wildly through Speedy's red hair as he closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the setting sun on his face. He had been released today and Aqualad had come in the Titan boat to take him back to the Tower. Speedy's hand rested against his face as his elbow hung off the side of the boat as he sat peacefully. He felt tired, but the boat bouncing through the waves made it difficult to catch a quick nap before they arrived back at the Tower.

Aqualad turned his head away from the stirring wheel to look at Speedy. His brow furrowed as he noticed there was something off about the redhead. He looked beaten down and broken. Nothing like the arrogant, overconfident person who he had first meet when the team was established. "Speedy?" Aqualad called out.

"Yeah?" he answered as if it pained him to do so.

"Are you taking to the water, alright?" he asked. "You look like you're shaking." He noticed.

Speedy pulled his hand for his face and watched his shaking hand. "Shit," he whispered to himself before raking his fingers through his hair. "I'm fine," he finally replied.

Aqualad looked at him skeptically. "Is there. . . is there something you would like to tell me, Speedy?"

The accusing tone of the dark haired Titan caused Speedy to finally look at him. "No. Why?" he asked. Aqualad shook his head before his attention went back to what he was doing. They road in silence for awhile before Speedy spook again. "Tell me, _Al_, why didn't you believe me?"

"What are you talking about? You couldn't even remember," Aqualad pointed out.

"That's not the point. I needed a friend and it would have been nice to be able to count on my team." Speedy seemed angry. "Even if you had only pretended, it would have been enough."

Aqualad lowered his head at Speedy's words. "You're right," he began. "I know pretty much know you're a jerk," Speedy frowned, "but there's no way you could have done what you had been accused of. I'm sorry I wasn't more supportive." He sighed. "It's just that I had my hands full with Bee on some-"

"I heard things," Speedy interrupted him causing the other looked to him. "Awful things while I was in there," he told him.

"I don't understand," Aqualad said.

"Brother Blood," Speedy only had to say those two words for Aqualad to understand where the question was going.

"How much did he tell you?" he asked.

There was a beat before Speedy responded, "Are you telling me it's true?" He looked as if he was turning green. "Bee had a relationship with him?"

"It wasn't a relationship," Aqualad made clear. "It was emotional and physical abuse and be cause of it Bee's mind has never been stable. She's seeking help, finally, but I fear she will always allow Brother Blood to hunt the shadows of her mind," he admit sadly. "But Bee isn't here and I shouldn't have said that much. It's her business and if she wishes for you to know more, she'll tell you herself."

"Unstable?" Speedy questioned. "No, Bee is strong, she could have fought him off if she wanted to," he argued.

Aqualad looked at him, not believing his words. "Are you listening to yourself? She was eleven. She was a child. How was she suppose to fight off a grown damn man?"

"I could ask you the same question," Speedy stated. "You've known her the longest, but you don't know her at all."

"Oh, excuse me! So now you're an expert on my best friend?" he asked. "You think just because you're fucking her you know her?" His tone was angry. "You don't know shit!"

Speedy was a tad bit surprised, he wasn't used to hearing harsh words leave his fellow Titan's mouth. "Well, I know that Bee doesn't do anything she doesn't want to. So if she was with Blood, it was because she wanted to be."

Aqualad shook his head as his attention went back to the water. He figured there was no reason to argue with someone who would never have all the facts and so the two road the rest of the way home in silence.

OoOoO

Bumblebee was in the common area with Mas y Menos reading a book while the twins did what they did best, play with their beloved Game Station, when they heard the sound of doors behind them open. The three of them turned around as their fellow teammate entered the room. Bumblebee smiled softly as she rose from her seat and flew over to Speedy, where she landed in front of him.

"Speedy," she whispered gently as she reached out for him. "Welcome ho-" she was surprised as Speedy took a step back to avoid her touch. She looked to Aqualad, her expression reading of confusion, but Aqualad only shook his head. "Welcome home," she finished as she placed her hand sbehind her back. "We've missed you," she admitted.

"Yeah, right," he stated sarcastically before turning around.

"Speedy!" Bumblebee blurted out suddenly, which made look at her once again. "I'm sorry," she offered. "Aqualad told me, what had happened when I visited you." She lowered her head, looking ashamed of herself. "I didn't mean to freak out on you or to get you in trouble," she told him.

Speedy regarded her for only a moment before heading towards the door. "I'm going to my room," he announced leaving his teammates to watch his back.

In his room Speedy rested against the closed door, sighing in relief, before he pushed himself off and head towards his dresser. He opened up the top drawer and immediately frown as what he was looking for didn't come directly into his view. "Where are they?" he asked himself as he his hands dipped into the open drawer and started moving items out of his way to find what he wanted. Every so often he ran his fingers through his hair, before once again continuing his search.

Becoming frustrated at this unexpected game of hide-and-seek, Speedy began to toss clothings and other items out of the first drawer. It was then followed by the second and then the third. Speedy screamed as he completely pulled out the last drawer and tossed it across the room. It smacked hard into the opposite wall and broke into three large pieces.

Speedy crumbled to the ground, completely exhausted as he breathed heavily from his place on the floor. "Looking for these?" Speedy's head whipped towards the voice. It was Aqualad standing in the doorway holding a zip lock bag with unlabeled prescription bottles inside.

"Give me those," the redhead demanded as he got unsteadily back to his feet. "They're mine!"

"No," Aqualad said firmly. "Jesus, Speedy. No wonder you've been all shaky and tired looking. You're going through withdrawals," he concluded.

"Yes," Speedy admitted. "That's why I need my pills." He held his hand out. "Give them to me," he asked again, his voice now matching his broken down state.

"You have a problem, Speedy," Aqualad began. "I'm sorry I didn't see it before, but I can't give these back to you."

Speedy looked confused for a moment. "What?" And then it donned on him what the other was going on about. "That would be just like you, wouldn't it?" Speedy asked, now causing Aqualad to seem confused. "To think the worst of me." Speedy took a step forward. "Well, news flash, Fish Boy. I'm not an addict!" He snatched the bag out of the other's hand. "I'm sick, you bastard." With his pills in hands, Speedy once again took a seat on the floor.

"Sick?" Aqualad questioned. "How sick?"

Speedy smiled as he looked over his pills making sure they were all there. "I've been told, I'll be lucky if I reach twenty-five," he informed the other.

"Speedy," he said gently as he sat down next to the boy. "We're your team, how come you never told us?"

The redhead looked to his dark haired teammate. "Screw you," he whispered. "You've never seen me as a real part of his team and you know it." He then popped a handful of pills. "To Mas y Menos I'm their own personal chef and to Bee. . ." he sighed. "Well, I've never been more than her fuck toy." He then looked the other straight into his black eyes. "So unless you have something truly significate to say to me right now, I suggest you get the hell out of my room."

Aqualad continued to sit by his side. "You're right, I don't see you as a teammate," Speedy only nodded, "I see you as my family. I see you and love you as my brother," he told him.

"Family?" Speedy scoffed. "Whatever. I had a family once, back on the reservation where I grew up, but once they discovered how weak and frail I was, they abandon me," he confessed painfully. "Just like you guys did." He could no longer look at the other as tears found a way to his eyes. "So please. . . just get out."

Aqualad nodded before he rose to his feet and made his way out the door, but as soon as he stepped out into the hallway the Titan alarm went off, flashing the entire Tower in black and red. Aqualad turned his head to find Speedy by his side. "Let's go!" he shouted over the noise. The other agreed and the two raced through the hall and down to the common area to see what was wrong.

Once all five Titans were in the common area the Titan alarm shut down on its own. Aqualad looked to the front of the room. Where the large screen television stood, which was no accompanied by a huge computer. The screen showed a map of Steel City a red dot flashing as it beeped over the police station. "Bee, what's the status report?" Aqualad asked, finding it strange that he had to. She usually started barking out orders as soon as the alarm fell silent. "Bee?" He grew concern as he noticed that she was slumped in her seat in front of the computer.

As he stepped closer the soft voice of Mas filled his ears. "El Diablo de la Sangre no le obtendrá. Yo le mantendré seguro, como usted me mantuvo seguro. Prometo."

"Menos," he turned to the other twin.

"La Sangre del hermano ha escapado de la cárcel," he informed him solemnly.

"No," Aqualad whispered as his eyes went back to the screen.

"I don't understand," Bumblebee began, her face in her hands. "He said he couldn't do it without me. He said there was no one else he trusted."

"What's going on?" Speedy asked as he stood by Aqualad.

"Brother Blood has escaped from jail," he repeated the words that were told to him by Menos. "It seems he hasn't shown up on screen yet, so I suggest we fan out and search the city."

Speedy turned his head towards Bumblebee as she took a large breath before standing. "No," she disagreed, her voice sounding strong as she finally regained her footing. "I know where he'll go. Wait for me here, while I go get my Bee Stingers, and I'll tell you what we should do." She then walked out of the room, knowing full well that she was being followed by Aqualad.

Within her bedroom, she reached and retrieve her weapons of choice. "What do you need, Al?" she asked her friend.

"As Second in Command," he began seriously. "I'm telling you, you're not fit for this mission."

Bumblebee's forehead creased as she looked to the taller Titan. "Excuse me?"

"I want you to stay in the Tower," he made clear.

"You're forgetting who's leader around here," she reminded him. "I give the orders. You follow them."

"No. This time, Bee, you're going to listen to me," he replied. "You are still recovering from your breakdown. You need to relax, not confront the source of it."

"I know where he'll go," she informed him again. "You need me out there!" She pointed outside her opened window.

"No, I need you safe, _here_," he confirmed. "I can't always watch you out there," he admitted his fears.

"I'm not a baby. I don't need you to hold my hand," she argued.

Aqualad lifted his head up as he crossed his arms over his chest, taking on a very intimidating manner. "You will do as I say." He put his foot down on the matter.

Bumblebee took a step closer as she put a finger in his face. "Don't think, just because Cyborg wanted to name you leader, instead of me, that'll I submit to your will like some good little girl."

"Get your finger out my face," he ordered, his cheeks tinting red as a rare anger began to rise.

"No," she poked his forehead roughly. "When will you see that Cyborg only told you what you wanted to hear to get you off his back?" she questioned. "He knew you liked him." She scoffed and then continued, "You're probably the reason he considered going back to his original team in the first place. I mean, think about it, what kind of straight guy, who knows that, would want to be on the same team as a fa-"

And then, all fell silent before another syllable could be uttered.

Aqualad's mouth was open, his eyes wide as he stared at his open hand, looking at is as if it didn't belong to him. He then lowered it as he stared at Bumblebee on the floor at his feet, her cheek in her hand.

She then slowly began to rise, her hand never leaving her cheek as she looked into the black eyes of Aqualad. _I've fought many villains, been in many battles, but no hit has ever cause me as much pain as his hand on my face_. She remembered the words she had said about her father and realized that she was wrong, because as tears welled in her eyes, she realized this hurt more.

"Bee," no sound came out as Aqualad mouthed the word. He then reached out for her, but she quickly shook head no and he drew back. He then watched in horror as she struck to her smallest size. "What are you doing?" he asked, panic lining his words. "_NO!_" he yelled, dashing forward as Bumblebee flew towards the open window. "_WAIT!_" he begged jumping out the window after her. His fingers only slightly brushing her tiny high heel boots before gravity took a firm hold of him and he plunged into the dark waters below.

OoOoO

Brother Blood stood proudly on the highest point of Steel City, his long coat billowing violently in the night wind as he let the moon bathe his face with his eyes close. He then heard soft steps behind him. "Aw, Honeybee, you're late," he informed her as he turned to greet her. "You know I can't do this without you. I trust no one else."

Bumblebee stood by his side. "I know. I'm sorry. I will not disappoint you again," she sighed, "daddy."

"Good girl," he praised her as he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple. Bumblebee snuggled into him. Brother Blood smiled. He had no doubt she would return to him. . . _she always did_.

To Be Continued. . .


	14. Cain and Abel

**A/N:** I thought I could do this in 14 chapters, but alas I could not. I'll try not to make my next update take so long.

* * *

Posted: August 24, 2007 

**Chapter Fourteen: Cain and Abel**

The doors of the common room slowly slid open as a dripping wet Aqualad entered, his head downward. Speedy looked him over curiously, "Let me guess, the air was feeling a little too dry for you," he teased before taking in his teammate's pale appearance. It was then he noticed that another teammate was still missing from the room. He was about to ask about it, when someone else beat him too it.

"¿Dónde está Bee?" Mas spoke clearly, his voice soft, but something in his eyes showed that the answer wouldn't be one of his liking.

"She's gone," Aqualad said sadly as he still approached them.

"¿Qué significa usted, ido?" Mas probed.

Aqualad then slowly began to lower himself down onto the couch, looking almost as if he just gone through battle. . . and had lost. "She went to Brother Blood," he informed him, his dark eyes glossy as if tears threaten them.

"You mean, she went after him herself?" Speedy asked angrily. "She's not-"

"No," Aqualad yelled, grabbing the others attention. Aqualad was always soft spoken, always calm, even when angry, so his outburst seemed almost out of character to the others, but he had to make them understand. "She didn't go after him," he sighed, his tone returning to one they were more accustom to. "She went _to_ him," he stressed. "She joined him," he sounded as if his heart was breaking with each word.

"¡Usted miente!" Mas yelled out. He took a few steps towards his Second in Command, angry that he would accuse their leader of such treachery. "Ella nunca nos traicionaría para el diablo. Ella es nuestro compañero de equipo. ¡Ella es nuestro líder!" he made his feelings clear as he glared at Aqualad. "¿Corrige, Menos? " he looked to his brother to back him up, while still staring at Aqualad.

"Yo no sé," Menos whispered causing Mas' head to snap towards him so quickly that it almost looked impossible. Mas only stared at his brother, his mouth hanging open as if the other had just stabbed him from behind. Menos did not make eye contact with his twin as he continued to speak. "Atrás en la academia, ella y la sangre fueron tan cerca. " He then finally looked into his brother's eyes, his features not reading of pain, which was expected, but of jealously. "Casi cierre como como usted y ella es ahora. "

Mas neither confirmed nor denied what his brother tried to imply, he alone knew where he stood when it came to their leader, whom he adored.

Meanwhile, Speedy stood in silence as he tried to come to grips with what they had just been told, then suddenly, he was taken back to a setting sun and soft, green grass between his fingers. . .

"_Faith," Green Arrow, causing Speedy to look at him oddly._

"_That's not a question," the young boy pointed out._

_Green Arrow only smiled. "Always the observant one, aren't we?"_

"_I have my moments," he returned the other smile, but Green Arrow's smile soon began to fade._

"_Will you have faith in her, when faith in her is few?" Speedy only blinked as he took in the meaning of the question._

"I don't believe you," Speedy finally spoke. "Bee is too strong willed, too independent. Yes, I know about her pass," a cold shiver ran down his spine, "but I have to agree with Mas. Bee lives for her team, she would never do that to us." There was a slight smile on Mas' face as he nodded to agree with his red headed teammate. But then the gears in Speedy's head began to turn and as they did his brow came closer to his eyes. "Not unless. . ." he whispered to himself, looking at Aqualad hard. "What the hell did you do?" he asked suspiciously.

Aqualad's face read of his guilt. He shook his head from side to side. "I don't know what happened," he tried to explain. "One minute we were just talking, the next we were screaming, and then. . ." he look at his hand, which slightly trembled before he balled it up into a fist. "And then she was gone," he ended, afraid of what the truth would sound like to them. What they would say and think if they knew he had struck her. That he had lost his infamous composer, and had committed an act neither thought he was capable of.

"We have to look for her," Speedy told the other.

Aqualad looked up at him. "And where do you suggest we start?" he asked. "We have no idea where Brother Blood is or what he's planning."

"So you're saying we should just give up?" Speedy asked in disbelief. "That we leave her to him?"

"You don't get it," Aqualad finally stood. "Even if we find Blood and defeat him. . . Bee has made her choice."

"Entonces nosotros los debemos parar. Nosotros la debemos parar," Menos spoke, when Speedy found he could not. "Y tenemos para hacerlo rápido, porque ella fue uno de nosotros, que la hace más peligroso que cualquier criminal podría ser jamás. Ella nos sabe. " Menos pointed out something that had not occurred to them. "Ella sabe nuestra debilidad y los utilizará contra nosotros. "

"Fine," Aqualad finally caved when the matter of the situation was explained. "We fan out from here, and search every part of this city until they are found. And then we contact each other immediately, understood?" He looked around to make sure they all agreed. "Good. Titan's go!"

OoOoO

"You wavered too long, child," spoke Brother Blood as he looked over the edge of a building where Bumblebee had met him. "We are slightly behind schedule," he informed her.

"We?" Bumblebee looked at him curiously at the word. "Slightly?"

Brother Blood only smiled as he turned his torso to look in his young pupil's direction as she came up to stand beside him. "You are the only one I trust, my little Honeybee, but I did make alternate plans in case you did not come to me as quickly as I had hoped," he explained. "The members of your former team, have been a great value to me since. . ." he shrugged, "since I've been on holiday. You taught them well," there was pride in his voice as he spoke. "Honeybee?" he called when he saw the expression on her face. "Does something bother you?"

"All of my old team?" she asked curiously.

"Well, all except for one, of course. Your little shooting star." Brother Blood than turned to fully face her. "So tell me, where does he lie?" he asked.

"With me," she told him softly, assured, as her hand went to her belt and it began to flash.

OoOoO

Mas y Menos held hands as they ran up and down the streets of Steel City, looking for any type of clue that would lead them to their former leader. Then suddenly, as they were running, Mas came to a complete stop, causing Menos to violently slide across the asphalt of a busy street. Several cars swerved to avoid hitting him, but no one was hurt.

Mas gasped as he realized what he had just done and ran to his brother as quickly as he could to make sure that he was all right. Menos was a little dazed, had a few scarps and bruises, but all and all, he was fine. Menos then asked Mas, why he had stopped the way he had. Usually they could sense when the other was prepared to stop. Mas apologized and asked again if he was all right. His twin brother assured him that he was.

Mas fussed over him until he was confident the other was telling the truth. When he was, Menos eyes grew wide when Mas hit him with a suggestion that he never thought would be utter from either of them. "Debemos separar para cubrir más suelo. "

Mas wanted to split up, thinking that they could look more carefully if they weren't zipping pass locations. After much hesitances, Menos finally agreed and so the two, for the first time, willingly, went separate ways in hopes of completing their mission.

As soon as Mas could no longer feel the presence of his brother, he ducked into an alleyway where he then reached for a chain around his neck. He pulled it out until he could see the pendant that resided on the chain. It was the shape of a star and was warm to the touch as it rested against his chest when it began to heat up.

He then took the necklace off and held it in front of him before squeezing the star pendant. A light then beamed from the small piece of jewelry, projecting a map, a beacon, to lead him to wherever Bumblebee was in the world. He studied the coordinates carefully, glad that she had made contact with him, but now that she had, there was a great dilemma now at hand for Mas. . .

"¿Qué hago yo?"

Mas lowered his head, lost in his thoughts as he wondered what to do. Should he contact the rest of the Titans and tell them what he had learned, or should he follow the map and go directly to Bumblebee? He leaned against the brick wall behind him, knowing no matter what choice he made, someone would be hurt by his actions.

A sense of dread filled the small Titan. Does he turn in the woman, who has been like a mother to him, who saved him and his brother from the hands of a monster? Or does he turn his back on his brother and the team, who have been like a family to him? "Menos. . ." Mas whispered to himself, knowing that this choice would be simple for him. He would choose his team and his brother, against the one who turned their back on the team. But Mas wasn't Menos and this choice wasn't easy for him. His loyalties were split. . . and Menos knew it.

They had been close once, before Bumblebee, but things had slowly changed once they had entered the academy. Mas had grown independent of Menos and was chosen to be part of an elite group within the H.I.V.E. They were known, or not known, as Alizaran, a secret group put together by Brother Blood.

Their group had been made up of four members, Bumblebee, Mas, Kyd Wykkyd, and one who had no official name, but as a group they dubbed him, Denim, if only for his blue skin alone. Mas shivered as he thought of Denim, as he always did. It wasn't that Denim wasn't kind enough, but it was his eyes, which glowed as red as any fire that burned in the midnight, that made Mas unnecessarily weary of him.

As Alizaran, they did things for Brother Blood that weren't public knowledge to the rest of the school. Things he had done without question because Bumblebee had lead them. And under her tutelage, Mas had learned many things about himself. He learned he had more power than he or Menos had realized and he had hone those powers, but he had learned them while working with Alizaran, and because their group didn't official exist, he couldn't let Menos in on what he had learned.

There had been times, when Menos wondered what Mas did when he was supposedly alone or with Bumblebee, but because they had different class schedules, he figured that he was off doing lessons for the classes they didn't share. But soon those thoughts did not satisfy Menos and he had confronted Mas about it. He demanded to know what he was doing with all his 'free' time. Menos didn't like being a part and when they were he didn't like not knowing where his brother was. Mas argued that he was his own person and that he didn't answer to Menos.

It had been the first real argument they had ever had. Their yelling could be heard all up and down the corridors of their dorm. Of course, most couldn't understand what they were saying, but their attention was drawn to it known the less. Yelling soon escalated into a shoving match. Silence then quickly fell over the dorm as a crash was heard.

Menos had struck the wall and hard before falling to his hands and knees. He then placed his hand over his heart as he breathed heavily, in complete shock. A strong pulse had ran throughout his entire body. It was so intense that it had repealed him from its source. Menos looked to his brother curiously from the floor as a bright red liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth to the ground. It was at that moment, as Mas lowered his hands, his face reading of defiance, that Menos realized, that their experiences at school were on two _very_ different levels.

Mas remembered the immediate fear that came over him when he finally saw his brother's blood on the floor and rushed to help him up, but Menos had refused his help, saying that Mas didn't need him anymore, so he didn't need him either. Menos then angrily stormed out of the room. It was the last time Mas has used what he learned in Alizaran.

Back in the alleyway, Mas closed his eyes, his memories not helping in the least with the decision he had to make as he whispered to himself once again. "¿Qué hago yo? "

To Be Continued. . .

* * *

** A/N:** Denim - - - http://images. titansgo. net/ screenshots/ 301/ 054. jpg 

Just remove the spaces, of course.


	15. The Original ::V1::

Posted: September 11, 2007

**Chapter Fifteen: The Original**

Brother Blood stood at the edge of the building, looking at the moon high above him. He then looked to his watch, now realizing just how late it was becoming. "If he arrives, you know where to go," he told her as he stepped up onto the ledge.

"There's no if about it, he'll be here," she tried not only reassuring Brother Blood, but herself. "I know he will."

Brother Blood sad nothing at first, he only offered a soft smile in her direction before saying, "See you in a little while, my Honeybee." His fingers gently stroked her face before he turned around stepped clear off the building.

Bumblebee, not surprised by the action simply placed her hands on the ledge and looked over the top of the twenty story building. Several feet below her was a small, black wraphole. She chuckled as she recognized it. "Wykkyd," she said to herself before her ears suddenly perked up at the strange sound she heard behind her. She straightened up as the sound grew nearer. "You're late," she spoke as she turned around, a frown marking her features, making her look older than she was in the moonlight.

"Sé. Perdón," Mas spoke, sounding very tired.

Bumblebee sighed heavily as she saw the distraught look on his face. She then slowly approached him before placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," she said with a soft smile. "You made the right choice." Mas only nodded as Bumblebee took his hand and led him to the edge of the building. She then gave his hand a little squeeze before both of them stepped off of the ledge.

A moment later, both of their bodies were engulfed in a sea of thick darkness, that stuck to each of them. The space around them was constricting, making it so hard to breathe that it felt like their lungs were on fire, and just when they thought they could endure no more, a tiny spark of light beckon them, and so they reached out towards it. When they did they were sucked through and both landed safely on the other side.

Bumblebee put her hand on her chest, it had been a while since she had to do that, she had forgotten how awful the first few trips were before your body became accustom to it. She then looked to Mas, whose hand she was still holding. She was about to ask if he was alright as he had just fallen to his knees, but before she could, another voice reach their ears. "Welcome back," Bumblebee looked up to see Denim, who was smiling, "Bee – Sonic." Mas, who was now slowly rising back to his feet, nodded as he heard the name dubbed to him by Alizaran. "I knew the side of good could only hold you two for so long."

Bumblebee returned his smile as she took in their location. Nothing existed but them as all around them she could see nothing but white. Bumblebee realized that they were between dimensions. "I've missed you too, Denim – Wykkyd."

"Aw, it's good to see my Generals together. You do my eyes well," each member of Alizaran turned as Brother Blood came closer. He stepped beside Bumblebee and placed his arm possessively around her waist, his eyes lingering on Denim, just a moment too long. "Now, I can't stay for long, but I trust that you two will fill Bee and Sonic in on the changes we had to make in their absence."

"Of course, Headmaster," Denim confirmed. "As you wish."

"Good." Brother Blood then turned to the silent member of their team. "Wykkyd, if you please." Wykkyd held his hand up towards Brother Blood, where a portal then produced itself. "I shall be back tomorrow," he announced to them before stepping through the portal and disappearing from their sight.

As soon as he was gone, the green eyed girl turned to the alien with the red eyes. "So Denim, what have we missed?"

Denim, whose smile finally fell, looked at Bumblebee and Sonic with scrutinizing eyes. "Not sure if it's worth explaining. I mean, how do we know, you won't leave us again?"

Bumblebee stood there a moment as she took in Denim's tone. "It was a mistake," she began, her voice soft and apologetic. "Which I am now trying to correct – both of us are," she indicated Sonic, who was now taking off his headgear, revealing his brown locks.

"You sent our Headmaster to jail, destroyed our school, and sided with that freak from the ocean," his voice held a touch of anger as he spit out his logic. "Now, don't get me wrong, we've missed you both, and I think I speak for Wykkyd as well when I say this, but we don't know if you can be trusted anymore. And despite whatever Headmaster may say, once a traitor, always a traitor."

Bumblebee lowered her head, not sure what to say to his words. She knew by leaving Alizaran and taking Sonic with her, that she had caused a lot a damage and now that she was actually back, she wasn't sure if that damage could be repaired. "I understand that I betrayed a lot of people-"

"Not people, Bee!" Denim interrupted her. "_Us_! You betrayed us!" he yelled.

"What do you want me to say, Denim!" she yelled back.

"Geez, I don't know. How about 'sorry'? Why don't you try that one on for size?" He took a step towards her. "I mean, you've only been back three minutes and you're already giving commands. And you expect us to fall in line, like good little soldiers? Well, it doesn't work like that anymore."

"Then tell me then, how does it work?" she demanded to know.

"When you left, I became leader of Alizaran. _You_ follow _my_ lead now." Denim stared her down as if making her know her place. "If you want this position back, you have to do more than fuck the Headmaster. You have to earn it."

Bumblebee's eyes went wide for a moment, she had never known Denim to hit so low when it came to his side of an argument. "Fine," she whispered, causing Denim to look at her strangely as he finally backed up.

"The Titans have made you weak," he pointed out as he had been expecting a full-blown fight at that point. He had secretly wanted to test her skills.

The woman before him face grew red. "I know," she could not deny it.

"Glad you're woman enough to admit that," he spoke calmly before he turned to Wykkyd. "Let's go home."

"¿El hogar?" Sonic spoke, wondering what he meant, since home had been at the school, which of course was now long gone.

Denim only smiled at the question as he looked to Wykkyd, who took that as his cue. Bumblebee looked down as the shadow below them grew bigger and with a yelp, they were all once again, submerged into a world of darkness. On the other side of the portal was an ocean as far as the eye could see. "Come on!" yelled Denim and so Bumblebee and Sonic turned towards the sound and saw Denim and Wykkyd walking towards a house so big, that it caused Bumblebee's mouth to drop at the sight of it.

Sonic excited about their new home laughed as he began running towards it, but found it difficult to run on the sand of the beach and trip twice on the way to the house.

OoOoO

"It's getting late," Denim announced as he saw a slumbering Sonic curled up in the corner of one of the sofa's within their living room. "We should all probably hit the sack," he announced as Wykkyd, who was lazily flipping through channels yawned. "We're going to have a long couple of sleepless weeks coming up." He slowly stood up and stretched his body. The tour around the house he had led Sonic and Bumblebee on left him unexpectantly tired.

Wykkyd followed Denim's lead as he got up and stretched his body. He then walked over to Sonic's side of the sofa and picked him up so that he could carry the youngest member of their group to his new room. Denim's eye's watched them as they disappeared through the door. He then turned his attention to the only other person in the room besides himself. "Do you remember where your room is?" he asked her.

"No, but I'll manage," she told him as she turned off the television that Wykkyd left on.

Denim sighed. "I'll show you real quick," he suggested.

"I don't need your help," she told him as she crossed her arms and leaned back in the lazy-boy she was sitting in.

"Don't be suborn." Denim's brow creased. "This place is huge and one can easily become lost. Trust me." His last statement placed a smile on his companion's face. "What?" He didn't understand the reasoning behind it.

"You sound like you're speaking from experience. So how many times did you get lost?" she asked him.

"Once," he responded, but only received a questioning look from his teammate. "Alright, alright about five times," he confessed.

Bumblebee shook her head as she finally rose out of the chair. "You never had a sense of direction," she teased.

"No, but eventually I always find my way," he told her as they left the living room and walked down the hall. Neither said anything as they made their journey in silence until they reached Bumblebee's room. "Goodnight," he said softly after walking her inside and turning on the light.

"Denim," Bumblebee called softly as he turned to leave.

"We'll discuss the plan tomorrow," he told her, thinking he already knew what she was going to say.

"No, that's not it," she began. "I just wanted to say," she took a breath, "I'm sorry."

Denim lowered his head at her words. "I know." He closed his eyes. "It's just I'm not sure if I have the strength to forgive you yet." He then slowly walked away, closing the door behind him.

Knowing there was nothing else she could say tonight, Bumblebee turned around and examined her room. The first thing that pulled her attention was her closest door. She walked over to it, a smile creeping onto her features as she saw photographs from when she was back at the academy. There was on of her and Wykkyd in their Chemistry Level Four class. She smiled as she remember that's when they learned how to make undetectable poisons.

She giggled when she noticed a picture of her and Mas y Menos as she helped them with their first homework assignment, which involved how to deactivate alarm systems. Everything had gone fine until the practical excise came up. They had to break into a junk yard and take something proving they were there. Menos thought it would be a brilliant idea to take a camera along, and they all agreed, until the flash of the camera woke the guard dogs up. Bumblebee felt a chill run down her spine with the memory. That had been a long night.

The smile she had on her face then slowly faded away as she saw yet another picture. This time it was one of her and Denim, back in the first few weeks she had arrived at the academy. He was looking at her fondly as he helped her with her books to one of their classes. Bumblebee's eyes then slid down to the picture beneath it. It was the picture they had taken at the Winter Formal. It was the night of their first kiss.

Bumblebee pursed her lips together at the memory, before shaking her head and then standing up straight to open her close door which slid behind the other, covering all of the pictures from her view. She gasped in surprise as she turned on the light in her walk in closest and noticed how it was filled to the brim with clothing. She excitedly looked through each blouse, each skirt, each pair of pants, jeans, shoes, and everything else their was to look at.

There was even a small build in dresser in the back, where her delicates were kept along with several sets of pajamas. She frowned as she looked at them. They weren't really her, but she figured she could always steal a few things later. When she got to the last drawer her excitement came back to her, along with a bit of weariness at how well Brother Blood knew her, as she pulled out a red bikini set. "Ooh, shiny," Bumblebee couldn't help but say out loud as she held it to her body and looked at herself in the mirror nearby.

She then placed the two piece on top of the dresser before beginning to take off her uniform as she wanted to see how it looked on her. With her clothing now pooled around her feet she tired on her new bathing suit and was quite pleased with what she saw. She then found herself wondering what Speedy would think of it. But as quickly as the thought came she just as fast pushed it away. She didn't want to think about the Titans, especially that one.

Bumblebee then thought, since she was already dressed for the occasion, that she would go and relax in the jacuzzi she saw on the back patio when she and Sonic were being toured around the place. She grabbed a towel off the shelf above her bedsheets before heading towards the door where she turned off the light.

It only took her a few minutes to remember where exactly the jacuzzi was located. As she approached the patio door she was surprised to see the light was already on. Then as she slid the door open she saw why. "Thought you were heading to bed?" she asked the half naked boy sitting in the water.

Denim shrugged. "It's a nice night," was his reply as his head was pointed towards the stars. His eyes did not leave the skies as Bumblebee slipped in on the other side. "I see you like the set I chose for you," he said as he finally looked at her.

"Yeah, I do," she told him honestly.

"I'm glad," was all he said before he turned his attention went back to the skies. Bumblebee following his example began to stare at them as well and for the longest time that is all they did. Bumblebee had gotten so used to the silence that it practically startled her when Denim spoke again. "The stars," he began. "I love looking at them," he told her.

"Is it because you used to travel through them?" she asked the alien.

"No." He once again looked at her, his expression soft. "It's because they remind me of the light I used to see in your eyes."

Bumblebee suddenly felt uncomfortable as she sat under his gaze. "Maybe I should go. You wanted to be alone anyway." She stood up and reached for her towel, but within a blink of an eye, Denim was by her side holding her wrist, preventing her from doing so.

"I never wanted to be alone," he told her. "But you chose our fates."

"I chose nothing," she argued.

"You chose everything," he countered.

"Let me go, Denim," she asked of him and he released her. She then rose out of the jacuzzi and wrapped her towel around herself before bidding him a good night.

"Bee!" he called out and she froze as she was about to close the patio door behind her. "I'm still just a mad boy," he told her softly and she understood.

Bumblebee bit her bottom lip as she thought over his small phrase. He had once told her, that loving her was a mark of insanity and that he hoped he never found a cure, but that had been before she sided with the Titans. She then turned around and Denim looked surprised that she had. "It's alright if you don't feel the same. I know the way we ended," he paused. "It was hard, on both of us, we both said things we shouldn't of, but you're back now and I want what we had back. I want you back," he told her.  
"How can you still love me?" was all Bumblebee could ask. "After everything?"

He shrugged. "That's a question I don't know how to answer," he told her truthfully. "I mean, the only thing that ever tied me to this planet was you. And I won't leave it until I'm absolutely sure that we're over. And I don't think we are."

Bumblebee crossed her arms over her chest. "I haven't thought about you," she spoke. "Not once since I left."

"That doesn't bother me," he told her, but the sadness in voice had given him away. "I mean, when it came to other people, I always knew I was last on your list. It was Headmaster, _Aqualad_," he said the name with disdain, "the twins, but mostly Sonic, and then me. In that order." Bumblebee said nothing to contradict the statement. "I'm not asking you to feel the same way I feel about you," he made clear. "I just simply ask that you indulge me a little." He held out his hand to her. "You know I'll be whoever you need me to be."

Then, before the former Titan's eyes, Denim's features began to change, until he was the spitting image of Brother Blood before his Cyborg obsession. Bumblebee visibly became tense at the sight of what her Headmaster used to me. "No?" Denim ask, in Brother Blood's voice, before his features once again began to morph. "How about now?" he asked, his voice calm and nonchalant.

Bumblebee walked back over to the jacuzzi where she knelt beside it. Her hand then slowly reached out as she stared into the familiar black eyes of Aqualad. "How about you?" she asked of him. "Just you?" And as she finished her question she cupped his cheek, which went back to its original bluish hue.

Denim smiled as he leaned into her touch, a sigh of contentment escaping his lips. "I've almost forgotten how soft your touch is." He then moved back and Bumblebee took that as him invited her back into the bubbling water, where she continued to remind him of just how good they used to be together.

To be Continued. . .

* * *

**A/N:** Aww, one never truly forgets their first love. 


End file.
